Algebraic-Combinatorial Methods for Low-Rank Matrix Completion with Application to Athletic Performance Prediction

This paper presents novel algorithms which exploit the intrinsic algebraic and combinatorial structure of the matrix completion task for estimating missing en- tries in the general low rank setting. For positive data, we achieve results out- performing the state of the art nuclear norm, both in accuracy and computational efficiency, in simulations and in the task of predicting athletic performance from partially observed data

Exploring Supports and Barriers to Inclusion in Occupational Therapy Education

The recent innumerable social and racial injustices and healthcare disparities experienced globally have catapulted diversity and inclusion discussions to the forefront. The purpose of this study was to identify the supports and barriers to inclusion in occupational therapy (OT) education from the experiences of OT students from historically marginalized groups and the perspectives of OT faculty/staff. The authors used a convergent mixed methods design for the study, which consisted of an online survey and semi-structured interviews. 131 students and 35 faculty/staff completed the survey, while 20 students and 11 faculty completed interviews. Five themes emerged from the data: 1) Barriers and facilitators exist while exploring OT as a potential career; 2) There are pros and cons to the OT admissions process for students from historically marginalized groups; 3) Students from historically marginalized groups experience varying degrees of exclusion and a limited sense of belonging within their OT programs; 4) Many OT programs have good intentions to promote diversity and inclusion through various efforts; and 5) Some OT program efforts may be counterproductive, and more actions must be taken to further promote inclusion and address barriers to inclusion. Numerous supports and barriers to inclusion in OT education were identified within these themes. Findings indicate that despite numerous inclusion efforts, students from historically marginalized groups continue to experience several barriers that impact inclusion in OT education. Based on these findings, the authors provide strategies to promote and advocate for inclusion in OT education

Challenging the Status Quo: Infusing Non-Western Ideas into Occupational Therapy Education and Practice

The authors of this Topics in Education article, who are both occupational therapy educators, reflect on challenging concepts related to decolonizing occupational therapy education, an idea they first encountered at the 2018 World Federation of Occupational Therapists Congress. They acknowledge that Western views heavily influence the occupational therapy concepts they teach to their students. The downside of approaching occupational therapy education and practice primarily from a Western worldview is that occupational therapy students and practitioners may perpetuate societal inequities through their practices and are not well-prepared to address the occupational needs of individuals and communities around the world. This article describes existing alternative views, including occupational consciousness, cultural humility, and ubuntu, and how these concepts can be applied to occupational therapy practice and education. Practical recommendations are made about reconsidering how occupational therapy concepts are taught in educational settings and applied in practice

Source Separation with Side Information Based on Gaussian Mixture Models With Application in Art Investigation

In this paper, we propose an algorithm for source separation with side information where one observes the linear superposition of two source signals plus two additional signals that are correlated with the mixed ones. Our algorithm is based on two ingredients: first, we learn a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) for the joint distribution of a source signal and the corresponding correlated side information signal; second, we separate the signals using standard computationally efficient conditional mean estimators. The paper also puts forth new recovery guarantees for this source separation algorithm. In particular, under the assumption that the signals can be perfectly described by a GMM model, we characterize necessary and sufficient conditions for reliable source separation in the asymptotic regime of low-noise as a function of the geometry of the underlying signals and their interaction. It is shown that if the subspaces spanned by the innovation components of the source signals with respect to the side information signals have zero intersection, provided that we observe a certain number of linear measurements from the mixture, then we can reliably separate the sources; otherwise, we cannot. Our proposed framework -- which provides a new way to incorporate side information to aid the solution of source separation problems where the decoder has access to linear projections of superimposed sources and side information — is also employed in a real-world art investigation application involving the separation of mixtures of X-ray images. The simulation results showcase the superiority of our algorithm against other state-of-the-art algorithms

An Exploration of the Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone: Perspectives from Capstone Coordinators, Graduates, and Site Mentors

Few studies have investigated entry-level doctoral capstone outcomes regarding how the experience and project relate to employment opportunities. This descriptive study reports various stakeholders’ perspectives regarding the entry-level occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) capstone in relation to employment opportunities and awareness of the profession. Authors disseminated a nationwide survey to doctoral capstone coordinators, entry-level OTD graduates, and capstone site mentors. Ten doctoral capstone coordinators, 68 OTD graduates, and 22 capstone site mentors responded to the survey. Collectively, doctoral capstone coordinators reported that 117 OTD graduates obtained employment in a setting related to the focus of their doctoral capstone and gave examples of graduates employed as entrepreneurs, faculty, program specialists, and supervisors. OTD graduates most often completed their doctoral capstones in community-based settings with projects focusing on program development. Sixty-four percent of the OTD graduates were employed at their doctoral capstone site or at a site similar to where they completed their doctoral capstone. Professional background of capstone site mentors varied, and all mentors who were not occupational therapy professionals reported improved awareness of occupational therapy after mentoring an OTD student. Outcomes of the OTD doctoral capstone are needed to support the efficacy of this experience and project. This study begins to provide such outcomes by reporting findings related to employment and awareness of the profession

Understanding the Doctoral Capstone Coordinator Position: A Unique Faculty Role in Occupational Therapy Education

The doctoral capstone coordinator (DCC) position is a required faculty position in U.S. entry-level OTD programs, but there is limited information about this role. This descriptive study aimed to explore the demographics of DCCs; their required workload, tasks, and responsibilities; and the supports available to DCCs. The researchers administered an online survey and analyzed the data using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The results revealed much variability in DCCs’ experiences, workloads, and responsibilities across OTD programs. Of the DCCs survey, 74.0% previously held leadership positions in academia or clinical practice before taking the role, and 60.5% of the DCCs worked overtime for at least half of the previous year. Approximately half of the DCCs spent different percentages of time on teaching, research, service, and clinical responsibilities than expected by their universities. Common capstone tasks completed only by the DCC involved educating others about the capstone process, developing and evaluating the capstone processes, and teaching capstone courses. Tasks commonly completed with support include ensuring student completion of preparatory requirements, securing placements and affiliation agreements, and advising students. The responses varied regarding the individuals involved with mentoring and student assessment responsibilities. Overall, 67.7% of the DCCs were slightly to extremely satisfied with their existing workload

Source Separation in the Presence of Side Information: Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Reliable De-Mixing

This paper puts forth new recovery guarantees for the source separation problem in the presence of side information, where one observes the linear superposition of two source signals plus two additional signals that are correlated with the mixed ones. By positing that the individual components of the mixed signals as well as the corresponding side information signals follow a joint Gaussian mixture model, we characterise necessary and sufficient conditions for reliable separation in the asymptotic regime of low-noise as a function of the geometry of the underlying signals and their interaction. In particular, we show that if the subspaces spanned by the innovation components of the source signals with respect to the side information signals have zero intersection, provided that we observe a certain number of measurements from the mixture, then we can reliably separate the sources, otherwise we cannot. We also provide a number of numerical results on synthetic data that validate our theoretical findings

DOTASA revisited : 1H NMR and potentiometric studies of a highly asymmetrical ligand and its lanthanide(III) complexes

Poster apresentado no 8th FIGIPAS Meeting in Inorganic Chemistry, Atenas, Grécia, 6 - 9 Jul. 2005.DOTASA (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclodo-decane-1-(R,S)-succinic acid-4,7,10-triacetic acid) is a DOTA-like macrocyclic ligand showing a carboxymethyl -CH2COOH substituent moiety at a C carbon of one of the four acetate pendant arms, present as a racemic mixture of R and S configurations.The protonation constants of the ligand were determined by potentiometry, giving values close to DOTA except for the extra pK3 value of 5.35 assigned to protonation of the extra carboxylate group in the succinyl arm. The 1H NMR spectra of DOTASA at different pH values are too complex to allow the determination of its microscopic protonation scheme, due to the presence of multiple isomeric structures in solution. The thermodynamic stability constant of its Gd3+ chelate was determined by a potentiometric method, and the value obtained, log KML = 27.2 (0.2), is higher than for the [Gd(DOTA)(H2O)]- complex. The solution structure of the asymmetrical Ln3+ chelates of DOTASA was studied by 1H NMR spectroscopy, indicating the presence of four isomers, corresponding to the combination of the antiprismatic (M) and twisted antiprismatic (m) helicities of the pendant arms and to the R and S configurations of the substituted pendant arm C atom. The m/M isomer ratio decreases along the lanthanide series, with the m isomer decreasing from 90% at La to about 50% from Eu-Lu. This shows that the expected m isomer population of the Gd3+ complex with DOTASA is higher than for the unsubstituted Gd3+-DOTA (~15%) but lower than for a Gd3+ chelate of a RRRR tetrasubstituted DOTA (~70%). Thus the stabilisation of the m isomer by C monosubstitution at the DOTA acetate pendant arms in [Gd(DOTASA)(H2O)]2- is responsible for its increased water exchange rate and higher relaxivity

Entry-wise Matrix Completion from Noisy Entries

We address the problem of entry-wise low-rank matrix completion in the noisy observation model. We propose a new noise robust estimator where we characterize the bias and variance of the estimator in a finite sample setting. Utilizing this estimator, we provide a new robust local matrix completion algorithm that outperforms other classic methods in reconstructing large rectangular matrices arising in a wide range of applications such as athletic performance prediction and recommender systems. The simulation results on synthetic and real data show that our algorithm outperforms other state-of-the-art and baseline algorithms in matrix completion in reconstructing rectangular matrices

A Snapshot of How Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Programs Collect and Use Doctoral Capstone Outcomes

Entry-level occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) programs are required to gather program evaluation data regarding the doctoral capstone for accreditation purposes. This study aims to describe the processes used by a sample of OTD programs to gather doctoral capstone outcome data and to determine the type of data collected in order to understand the perspectives regarding doctoral capstone outcomes by doctoral capstone coordinators (DCCs) within the United States. The investigators used purposeful sampling to recruit DCCs at accredited entry-level OTD programs in the United States. The most common outcome data collected included information about the doctoral capstone experience from students, student performance outcomes, employment and scholarship outcomes from alumni and employers, and various outcomes from site/expert/faculty mentors. Results highlight the need to disseminate doctoral capstone outcomes as few participants in this study used the data they were collecting outside of their program. By sharing and reporting outcomes of the doctoral capstone, OTD programs, and the profession can collectively benefit. Development of common outcomes, collected across programs, can help to provide data large enough to draw meaningful conclusions regarding the value of the doctoral capstone in occupational therapy education and in strengthening the knowledge of the profession among the public