311 research outputs found
Tourism Planning in the Northern Bahamas
The Abaco region of the northern Bahamas is developing its niche as a nature-based tourism destination with a wealth of natural and cultural attractions such as beaches, snorkel and dive sites, blue holes, cultural features, vibrant history, and colorful towns and artistry. Part of this effort is the development of the Abaco Trail, which will highlight regional attractions and link them together for visitors to follow on their own, fulfilling their own interests as their visit allows. In this study, the Tourism Opportunity Spectrum (TOS) was used to gather information to aid in the process of assembling tourism site conditions and function to assist this trail effort. TOS data was collected on ten sites in the Abacos and results show individual condition scores for each attribute on the TOS scale as well as estimated scores for each individual condition based on what changes may occur based on proposed changes at one site. Overall, results indicate that the site conditions in the Abacos fall into the more Primitive end of the spectrum, however proposed changes as one site would move site conditions well into the Urban end of the TOS
Men increase time spent on a charitable task when in the presence of women and other men: Evidence of competitive altruism in online mating scenarios
Previous research shows that competition can increase altruistic behaviour, however, the majority of such research focuses on financial costs and so our understanding is currently limited. Subsequently, the present study explored how competitive altruism can affect prosocial behaviour where time spent is the currency, using a real world charity. A sample of 67 men and 71 women completed the online altruistic task. As hypothesised, significant differences in giving behaviour due to competition were present in men but not women, suggesting that men use time spent here as a signal in mate choice scenarios. These findings therefore expand upon previous research on financial altruism, using artificial and/or hypothetical scenarios, by demonstrating that competitive altruism can be applied to real-world scenarios, where prosocial behaviours are of benefit. It also builds on previous research showing that men can compete with other men to display their altruistic nature to potential mates
Information Flow through a Chaotic Channel: Prediction and Postdiction at Finite Resolution
We reconsider the persistence of information under the dynamics of the
logistic map in order to discuss communication through a nonlinear channel
where the sender can set the initial state of the system with finite
resolution, and the recipient measures it with the same accuracy. We separate
out the contributions of global phase space shrinkage and local phase space
contraction and expansion to the uncertainty in predicting and postdicting the
state of the system. Thus, we determine how the amplification parameter, the
time lag, and the resolution influence the possibility for communication. A
novel representation for real numbers is introduced that allows for a
visualization of the flow of information between scales.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figure
Antecedents of Infant Mortality: An Analysis of Risk Factors in Rural and Urban Arkansas
This research examines the relationship between social and biological characteristics of the infant and mother and the probability of infant survival through the first year of life. The research also includes a consideration of the influence of residence (rural vs. urban). Employing linked birth and death certificate data for Arkansas (1985-1989), a logit model was estimated to assess the impact of social and biological factors on the probability of survival. The results indicate that metropolitan residence is positively associated with infant survival, but only at a marginal significance level. Other notable results include the importance of prenatal care and a lack of significance of race when other factors are controlled
Dynamical response of the Hodgkin-Huxley model in the high-input regime
The response of the Hodgkin-Huxley neuronal model subjected to stochastic
uncorrelated spike trains originating from a large number of inhibitory and
excitatory post-synaptic potentials is analyzed in detail. The model is
examined in its three fundamental dynamical regimes: silence, bistability and
repetitive firing. Its response is characterized in terms of statistical
indicators (interspike-interval distributions and their first moments) as well
as of dynamical indicators (autocorrelation functions and conditional
entropies). In the silent regime, the coexistence of two different coherence
resonances is revealed: one occurs at quite low noise and is related to the
stimulation of subthreshold oscillations around the rest state; the second one
(at intermediate noise variance) is associated with the regularization of the
sequence of spikes emitted by the neuron. Bistability in the low noise limit
can be interpreted in terms of jumping processes across barriers activated by
stochastic fluctuations. In the repetitive firing regime a maximization of
incoherence is observed at finite noise variance. Finally, the mechanisms
responsible for spike triggering in the various regimes are clearly identified.Comment: 14 pages, 24 figures in eps, submitted to Physical Review
A Programmatic Approach to Patient Blood Management â reducing transfusions and improving patient outcomes
In July 2008, the Western Australia (WA) Department of Health embarked on a landmark 5-year project to implement a sustainable comprehensive health-system-wide Patient Blood Management Program. Fundamentally, it was a quality and safety initiative, which also had profound resource and economic implications. Unsustainable escalating direct and indirect costs of blood, potentially severe blood shortages due to changing population dynamics, donor deferrals, loss of altruism, wide variations in transfusion practice and growing knowledge of transfusion limitations and adverse outcomes necessitate a paradigm shift in the management of anemia and blood loss. The concept of patient-focused blood management is proving to be an effective force for change. This approach has now evolved to embrace comprehensive hospital-wide Patient Blood Management Programs. These programs show significant reductions in blood utilisation, reduced costs while achieving similar or improved patient outcomes. The WA Program is achieving these outcomes across a health jurisdiction in a sustained manner
Caseworker assessments of risk for recurrent maltreatment: Association with case-specific risk factors and re-reports
This article focuses on caseworkersâ assessments of risk of maltreatment recurrence among families in contact with social services. Specifically, the article has two primary goals: 1) to examine the association between caseworkersâ risk assessments and demographic, child, parent and family-level risk factors; and 2) to examine agreement between caseworkersâ risk assessments and any subsequent report, or reports, of maltreatment
Information-theoretic approach to the study of control systems
We propose an information-theoretic framework for analyzing control systems
based on the close relationship of controllers to communication channels. A
communication channel takes an input state and transforms it into an output
state. A controller, similarly, takes the initial state of a system to be
controlled and transforms it into a target state. In this sense, a controller
can be thought of as an actuation channel that acts on inputs to produce
desired outputs. In this transformation process, two different control
strategies can be adopted: (i) the controller applies an actuation dynamics
that is independent of the state of the system to be controlled (open-loop
control); or (ii) the controller enacts an actuation dynamics that is based on
some information about the state of the controlled system (closed-loop
control). Using this communication channel model of control, we provide
necessary and sufficient conditions for a system to be perfectly controllable
and perfectly observable in terms of information and entropy. In addition, we
derive a quantitative trade-off between the amount of information gathered by a
closed-loop controller and its relative performance advantage over an open-loop
controller in stabilizing a system. This work supplements earlier results [H.
Touchette, S. Lloyd, Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 1156 (2000)] by providing new
derivations of the advantage afforded by closed-loop control and by proposing
an information-based optimality criterion for control systems. New applications
of this approach pertaining to proportional controllers, and the control of
chaotic maps are also presented.Comment: 18 pages, 7 eps figure
Multidrug resistant Kluyvera ascorbata septicemia in an adult patient: a case report
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p><it>Kluyvera ascorbata </it>has become increasingly significant due to its potential to cause a wide range of infections, as well as its ability to transfer gene encoding for CTX-M- type extended spectrum B-lactamases (ESBLs) to other Enterobacteriaceae.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We report the case of a 64-year-old African-American male diagnosed with severe sepsis due to a multidrug resistant <it>Kluyvera ascorbata</it>, which was isolated from his blood. He was treated with meropenem and had a favorable outcome.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of a multidrug resistant <it>Kluyvera ascorbata </it>isolated from the blood in an adult patient with sepsis.</p
Recommendations from the International Consensus Conference on Anemia Management in Surgical Patients (ICCAMS)
Background: Perioperative anemia has been associated with increased risk of red blood cell transfusion and increased morbidity and mortality following surgery. The optimal approach to the diagnosis and management of perioperative anemia is not fully established.
Objective: To develop consensus recommendations for anemia management in surgical patients.
Methods: An international expert panel reviewed the current evidence and developed recommendations using modified RAND Delphi methodology.
Results: The panel recommends that all patients be screened for anemia prior to surgery. Appropriate therapy for anemia should be guided by an accurate diagnosis of the etiology. The need to proceed with surgery in some patients with anemia is expected to persist. However, early identification and effective treatment of anemia has the potential to reduce the risks associated with surgery and improve clinical outcomes. As with preoperative anemia, postoperative anemia should be treated in the perioperative period.
Conclusions: Early identification and effective treatment of anemia has the potential to improve clinical outcomes in surgical patients
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