994 research outputs found
The Effectiveness of Individualized Instruction in a Learning Center, to Eliminate Ninth Grade Reading Deficiencies
The United States counts as one of its major achievements, that of being the first country in the world to attempt to give education beyond the three R\u27s to all its youth, regardless of intellectual endowment or socioeconomic status. Investigation of this premise reveals a gap between practice and pretensions. This is evidenced by the fact that in recent years, colleges, universities, businesses, vocational institutions, and industry have been highly critical of the large number of high school graduates with deficiencies in basic learning skills. These deficiencies impede academic, job related and/or job performance. Such an indictment of the secondary educational system has caused some state legislatures to consider proposals that all high school graduates be required to successfully complete a state developed competency based testing instrument to qualify for graduation
A Weakly Supervised Approach for Estimating Spatial Density Functions from High-Resolution Satellite Imagery
We propose a neural network component, the regional aggregation layer, that
makes it possible to train a pixel-level density estimator using only
coarse-grained density aggregates, which reflect the number of objects in an
image region. Our approach is simple to use and does not require
domain-specific assumptions about the nature of the density function. We
evaluate our approach on several synthetic datasets. In addition, we use this
approach to learn to estimate high-resolution population and housing density
from satellite imagery. In all cases, we find that our approach results in
better density estimates than a commonly used baseline. We also show how our
housing density estimator can be used to classify buildings as residential or
non-residential.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures. ACM SIGSPATIAL 2018, Seattle, US
The Creation of the Catholic School Leadership Program at Seton Hall University
This article summarizes the development and implementation of a Catholic school leadership program at a diocesan university. Supported by university faculty as well as seminary faculty, this program offers a unique response to the training of future school leaders. The course work blends leadership theory, theology, and educational administration and is delivered via a cohort model
Energy Return Characteristics of EVA and E-TPU Midsoles During a Drop Jump
Expanded Thermoplastic Polyurethane (E-TPU) is a material used in shoe midsoles that has been described as having greater energy return than traditional Ethylene Vinyl-Acetate (EVA) midsole material. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the landing and energy return characteristics of shoes using EVA and E-TPU midsoles. METHODS: Ten collegiate female athletes (19.7±1.0 yrs, 75.74±10.9 kg, 1.72±0.08 m) volunteered and provided informed consent to participate in this study. Participants performed five drop jumps from a height of 50 cm under two conditions; while wearing EVA midsole shoes and while wearing E-TPU midsole shoes. Peak force, rate of loading and impulse were measured from a Bertec force plate sampled at 1000 Hz during the initial landing phase of the drop jump. Coefficient of Restitution (COR) was determined by measuring the bounce height of a 1 in steel ball bearing dropped from a 1 m height onto the shoes. All measures were compared between midsole conditions using paired t-tests. RESULTS: Peak vertical force when landing with the EVA shoe (3265.6±554.2 N) was not different (p=0.19) than when landing with the E-TPU shoe (3406.6± 590.3 N). Similar rates of loading (p=0.71) were found for the EVA shoes (56106.3±9995.8 N/s) and the E-TPU shoes (54232.4±12167.0). Likewise impulse was not different (p=0.30) between the EVA shoe (710.5±177.7 Ns) and E-TPU shoe (693.9±162.6 Ns). However, COR was slightly higher (p=0.01) in the E-TPU shoe (0.67±.05) than the EVA shoe (0.66±0.02). CONCLUSION: The difference in COR values coupled with the similar landing characteristics observed for the different midsole materials may suggest that individuals are able to compensate for material differences by using different physiological strategies such as using different muscle stiffness during the landing phase depending on midsole material. Further testing to examine physiological measures during these movements is warranted
On computational irreducibility and the predictability of complex physical systems
Using elementary cellular automata (CA) as an example, we show how to
coarse-grain CA in all classes of Wolfram's classification. We find that
computationally irreducible (CIR) physical processes can be predictable and
even computationally reducible at a coarse-grained level of description. The
resulting coarse-grained CA which we construct emulate the large-scale behavior
of the original systems without accounting for small-scale details. At least
one of the CA that can be coarse-grained is irreducible and known to be a
universal Turing machine.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to be published in PR
Whither systems biology
Cell biologists are interested in how complexity arises from the interaction of different molecules. However, cells are many orders of magnitude larger than the protein-binding interfaces. To bridge these vast difference in scales, biologists construct hierarchies of organization of cellular structures. I describe how systems biology provides an approach to bridge these different scales
A retrospective evaluation of subsurface monopolar radiofrequency for lifting of the face, neck, and Jawline
BACKGROUND Subsurface monopolar radiofrequency (SMRF) has emerged as a new method for reducing skin laxity via the controlled delivery of thermal energy below the skin using a radiofrequency probe. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the overall efficacy of the treatment and satisfaction ratings of subjects who underwent a single SMRF treatment to the face, neck, or jawline (or some combination). MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective, single-center study was conducted in which data were obtained via subject follow-ups at 90 and 180 days posttreatment. RESULTS A total of 35 subjects, 6 men and 29 women, underwent a single SMRF treatment. Overall, 77% of subjects reported improvement, and 64% reported satisfaction with the treatment site at Day 180 posttreatment. CONCLUSION Subsurface monopolar radiofrequency represents an effective modality to achieve skin tightening of the face, neck, and jawline. The data suggest that there is an energy delivery threshold, above which a higher percentage of subjects report satisfaction. Analysis of treatments parameters suggests an optimal treatment time and tissue temperature that should be achieved to maximize results. © 2016 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc
The national burden of orthopedic injury: Cross-sectional estimates for trauma system planning and optimization
Background: Management of orthopedic injuries is a critical component of comprehensive trauma care. As patterns of injury incidence and recovery change in the face of emerging injury prevention efforts and technologies and an aging US population, assessment of the burden of orthopedic injury is essential to optimize trauma system planning. We sought to estimate the incidence of orthopedic injury requiring emergency orthopedic surgery in the United States.Methods: Using nationally representative samples from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, we estimated the incidence of orthopedic injury, polytrauma with orthopedic injury, and emergency operative orthopedic procedures performed for the management of traumatic injury. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify patient, injury, and hospital characteristics associated with odds of emergency orthopedic surgery.Results: A total of 7,214,915 patients were diagnosed with orthopedic injury in 2013-2014, resulting in 1,167,656 emergency orthopedic surgical procedures. Fall-related injuries accounted for 51% of health care encounters and 61% of emergency orthopedic surgical procedures. Odds of emergency orthopedic surgery were 2.04 times greater for patients with polytrauma, compared with isolated orthopedic injury (P \u3c 0.001).Conclusions: The total burden or orthopedic injury in the United States is substantial, and there is considerable heterogeneity in demand for care and practice patterns in the orthopedic trauma community. Population-based trauma system planning and tailored care delivery models would likely optimize initial treatment, recovery, and health outcomes for orthopedic trauma patients
Concurrent MEK targeted therapy prevents MAPK pathway reactivation during BRAFV600E targeted inhibition in a novel syngeneic murine glioma model.
Inhibitors of BRAFV600E kinase are currently under investigations in preclinical and clinical studies involving BRAFV600E glioma. Studies demonstrated clinical response to such individualized therapy in the majority of patients whereas in some patients tumors continue to grow despite treatment. To study resistance mechanisms, which include feedback activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in melanoma, we developed a luciferase-modified cell line (2341luc) from a BrafV600E mutant and Cdkn2a- deficient murine high-grade glioma, and analyzed its molecular responses to BRAFV600E- and MAPK kinase (MEK)-targeted inhibition. Immunocompetent, syngeneic FVB/N mice with intracranial grafts of 2341luc were tested for effects of BRAFV600E and MEK inhibitor treatments, with bioluminescence imaging up to 14-days after start of treatment and survival analysis as primary indicators of inhibitor activity. Intracranial injected tumor cells consistently generated high-grade glioma-like tumors in syngeneic mice. Intraperitoneal daily delivery of BRAFV600E inhibitor dabrafenib only transiently suppressed MAPK signaling, and rather increased Akt signaling and failed to extend survival for mice with intracranial 2341luc tumor. MEK inhibitor trametinib delivered by oral gavage daily suppressed MAPK pathway more effectively and had a more durable anti-growth effect than dabrafenib as well as a significant survival benefit. Compared with either agent alone, combined BRAFV600E and MEK inhibitor treatment was more effective in reducing tumor growth and extending animal subject survival, as corresponding to sustained MAPK pathway inhibition. Results derived from the 2341luc engraftment model application have clinical implications for the management of BRAFV600E glioma
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