Self-Stabilizing TDMA Algorithms for Dynamic Wireless Ad-hoc Networks

In dynamic wireless ad-hoc networks (DynWANs), autonomous computing devices set up a network for the communication needs of the moment. These networks require the implementation of a medium access control (MAC) layer. We consider MAC protocols for DynWANs that need to be autonomous and robust as well as have high bandwidth utilization, high predictability degree of bandwidth allocation, and low communication delay in the presence of frequent topological changes to the communication network. Recent studies have shown that existing implementations cannot guarantee the necessary satisfaction of these timing requirements. We propose a self-stabilizing MAC algorithm for DynWANs that guarantees a short convergence period, and by that, it can facilitate the satisfaction of severe timing requirements, such as the above. Besides the contribution in the algorithmic front of research, we expect that our proposal can enable quicker adoption by practitioners and faster deployment of DynWANs that are subject changes in the network topology

Faith and Masculinity: A Discussion on Raising Awareness and Promoting Cancer Screening Among Latino Men

Males may experience several barriers to seeking health care, including unfamiliarity with procedures (e.g. colonoscopy), stigma and fear of a given health issue, perceived breach of masculinity (machismo), and fear of feeling vulnerable. Evidence suggests church-based interventions are an effective way to strengthen the connection between promotional message content and participant conceptualization of the risks and benefits of health screenings. However, there is a lack of evidence demonstrating such effectiveness in men’s health, and there is even more of a dearth of research focusing on Latinos. This discussion presents trends from a series of 4 community-based seminars during the 2010-2011 academic year conducted with Latino faith-based groups on men’s health issues. Approximately 70 Latino men attended a series of seminars on health and wellness as it pertains to cancer screening procedures offered after church services. A particular emphasis was placed on perceived masculinity (machismo) and gender roles within the social environment, and how they influence health screenings among men, particularly for colorectal, prostate, and testicular cancer. The seminar series were a first step in laying the foundations for future formal effectiveness testing of faith-based facilities serving as a conduit for health promotion efforts among Latinos. This paper presents lessons learned from this new approach in community health outreach efforts. We advocate that faith-based groups can be an efficient and effective way to raise awareness and promote wellness among Latino men

Desperdicio

Critical Theory was first used in historical archaeology in the 1980s as a way of commenting upon the ideological character of modern global capitalism. At the time, neither the work of Walter Benjamin nor Slavoj Žižek were integrated into archaeology. Their work can be combined to form a complementary understanding of rapid consumption and disposal in modern culture, forming a new basis for excavation in historical archaeology. Benjamin concentrates on wide-scale discard, connecting it to ever faster cycles of consumption and production. Žižek analyzes the world of objects, both three-dimensional and psychological objectifications, to understand the inability of modern humans to see the difference between their creations and evanescent meanings. This paper takes these definitions and applies them to slave quarters in Maryland, and spent shell casings from a labour massacre in Pennsylvania, making frequently dismissed remains into images showing how modern societies constantly make and dispose of meanings.  Arqueología histórica, Teoría Crítica, siglo XIX, Wye House, Frederick Douglass, Masacre de Lattimer, Walter Benjamin, Slavoj Žižek, minería de carbon, trabajoLa Teoría Critica se usó por primera vez en arqueología histórica en los 80 del siglo pasado, como una forma de opinar sobre el carácter ideológico del capitalismo moderno. En aquel momento, los trabajos de Walter Benjamin y Slavoj Žižek no se integraron en arqueología. Su trabajo se puede combinar para una comprensión complementaria de los modelos de consumo y desecho en la cultura moderna, formando nuevas bases para la interpretación del registro en arqueología moderna. Benjamin se centra en el desecho a gran escala, conectándolo con ciclos más rápidos de consumo y producción. Por su parte, Žižek analiza el mundo de los objetos tanto materiales como sus objetivaciones psicológicas para entender la inhabilidad del ser humano moderno para ver la diferencia entre sus creaciones y sus significados evanescentes. Este artículo aplica esas definiciones a las cuadras de esclavos de Maryland, así como a las cáscaras sobrantes de una masacre obrera en Pensilvania, convirtiendo en imágenes los restos desechados para mostrar como las sociedades modernas desechan constantemente también los significados

Medical symptoms associated with tobacco smoking with and without marijuana abuse among crack cocaine-dependent patients.

Despite the widespread use of tobacco and marijuana by cocaine abusers, it remains unclear whether combined tobacco and marijuana smoking is more harmful than tobacco smoking alone in cocaine abusers. We investigated the differences in medical symptoms reported among 34 crack cocaine abusers who did not smoke tobacco or marijuana (C), 86 crack cocaine abusers who also smoked tobacco (C + T), and 48 crack abusers who smoked both tobacco and marijuana (C + T + M). Medical symptoms were recorded using a 134-item self-report instrument (MILCOM), and drug use was assessed using the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). After controlling for clinical and demographic differences, the C + T + M group reported significantly more total symptoms on the MILCOM as well as on the respiratory, digestive, general, and nose/throat subscales than the C + T or C groups. The C + T group reported higher total and respiratory and nose/throat symptoms than the C group. HOwever, the C group had the highest number of mood symptoms among the three groups. The C + T and C + T + M groups were comparable in number of cigarettes smoked and ASI scores. Although tobacco smoking is associated with higher reports of medical problems in crack abusers, smoking both marijuana and tobacco seems to be associated with greater medical problems than smoking tobacco alone. Tobacco smoking was not related to changes in cocaine use. Also, marijuana smoking does not appear to be associated with a reduction in tobacco or cocaine use

Sympathetic Nervous System Reactivity in Women Following Preeclamptic Pregnancies

Women who have had preeclamptic pregnancies are at risk for life-long cardiovascular disease. However, the factors contributing to this risk have yet to be established. Sympathetic nervous system dysregulation has been proposed to contribute to cardiovascular dysfunction during preeclamptic pregnancies. Therefore, we examined muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) at baseline and during a chemoreflex stimulus in women 6-24 months postpartum following a preeclamptic pregnancy (PE; n=6, age 28±2 y, BMI 27±3 kg/m2, 17±4 months postpartum). We hypothesized that MSNA responses to apnea would be greater in PE relative to control subjects, that is, women 6-24 months following a healthy pregnancy and with no history of disordered pregnancies (HP; n=6, 31±6 y, BMI 29±5 kg/m2, 17±4 months postpartum). Integrated MSNA recordings were obtained at baseline and during a voluntary end-inspiratory apnea. Baseline mean arterial pressure (MAP; 87±10 vs 95±10 mmHg, P=0.2), total peripheral resistance (TPR; 13±3 vs 14±1 mmHg/L/min, P=0.4), and heart rate (HR; 74±5 vs 74±13, P=0.9) were similar in PE vs HP. Baseline MSNA was higher in PE compared to HP (26±9 vs 14±6 bursts/100heartbeats, P\u3c0.01). The voluntary apnea was maintained for a similar duration in PE and HP (44±17 and 45±10 sec, P=0.9), without any difference in mean MAP (93±14 and 99±11, P=0.4), TPR (14±4 and 14±2, P=0.6), or HR (74±8 and 81±22, P=0.5) between groups. To discern between mild and moderate phases of chemoreflex stress, the apnea was divided into initial (i.e. first half) and latter (i.e. second half) phases for subsequent analyses. The initial phase of the apnea elicited a large increase in MSNA in the PE women which exceeded that observed in HP (37±13 vs 19±11, P=0.03, respectively). The peak sympathetic response observed in the latter half of the apnea was similar between PE and HP (56±21 vs 49±13 bursts/100hb, P=0.5). Thus, the sympathetic nervous system response to a mild chemoreflex stimulus is exaggerated in women who have had preeclampsia within the past 6-24 months relative to women without a history of preeclampsia. We have demonstrated that a recent history of preeclampsia is associated with chronic sympathetic activation as well as greater sympathetic reactivity. We propose these changes to the sympathetic nervous system contribute to the life-long risk for cardiovascular disease in formerly preeclamptic women. Funded by the Paul Titus Fellowship, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicin

Detained and committed youth: Examining differences in achievement, mental health needs, and special education status

Currently, there is limited research about the relationship between academic, mental health needs, and special education status among populations of incarcerated youth. Additionally, little is known about differences between special education and general education students, or about differences between detained and committed populations. This article reports the results of an investigation of the academic achievement, mental health history, and special education status of 555 detained and incarcerated boys in one mid-Atlantic state. Descriptive data and results from a logistic regression analysis are reported. We found that mean standard scores of participants on standardized achievement tests were one standard deviation below the population mean. We also found high rates of participants with disabilities, and high rates of participants reporting prior therapy and prior use of psychotropic medication. In addition, we found that student academic and mental health characteristics obtained through an intake screening protocol were predictive of special education status, but not of placement in detention or commitment settings. Finally, we found that African American students had a significantly higher risk of being committed than Caucasian students. Implications for future research and practice are discussed

How Do Auditors Behave During Periods of Market Euphoria? The Case of Internet IPOs

The study of periods of market euphoria, such as Holland’s seventeenth-century tulip mania, England’s eighteenth-century South Sea Company, America’s nineteenth-century railroads, or, most recently, the U.S. housing market, is a topic of long-standing interest to economists. Theorists specify conditions under which market participants and institutions cause "bubbles" to arise and persist and empiricists test participant-centric or institution- centric explanations (Hong, Scheinkman, and Xiong 2008; Schultz 2008; Greenwood and Nagel 2009). In this paper, we study a different participant other than one that stands to gain from price fluctuations. We are interested in how auditors behave during periods of market euphoria. Given their gatekeeper responsibility to act in the public’s interest, along with the seeming inevitability of bubbles (Rampell 2009), it is important to study how auditors behave during euphoric market conditions. To address this question, we examine auditor going-concern (GC) opinions around the time of the wave of stressed Internet firms filing to go public on NASDAQ, the capital markets entry point for the companies that went on to constitute "dotcom mania"

A platform to support object database research

Databases play a key role in an increasingly diverse range of applications and settings. New requirements are continually emerging and may differ substantially from one domain to another, sometimes even to the point of conflict. To address these challenges, database systems are evolving to cater for new application domains. Yet little attention has been given to the process of researching and developing database concepts in response to new requirements. We present a platform designed to support database research in terms of experimentation with different aspects of database systems ranging from the data model to the distribution architecture. Our platform is based on the notion of metamodel extension modules, inspired by proposals for adaptive and configurable database management systems. However, rather than building a tailored system from existing components, we focus on the process of designing new components. To qualitatively evaluate our platform, we present a series of case studies where our approach was used successfully to experiment with concepts designed to support a variety of novel application domains