Acquisitions: Walmart vs Amazon

The retail industry is in the process of undergoing major change. Historically big box brick and mortar strategies have dominated, but this is changing in the age of impatience and instant gratification. As consumers want items more conveniently, online retail has taken hold with no semblance of anticipated decline. At the forefront of this transformation are two industry giants: Walmart and Amazon. Walmart finds itself on the side of brick and mortar with 11,718 physical retail locations worldwide. Amazon is dominating the online retail space with control of a staggering 44% of all US e-commerce sales in 2017. These equally powerful yet opposing forces seem to have come to a realization. Walmart has determined that a purely brick and mortar strategy will not suffice and there must be a major focus on expanding e-commerce. Amazon has come to the realization that a pure e-commerce play will not be as effective as a mixed approach and is working into the brick and mortar space. As each giant finds itself on opposite sides of the spectrum they seek to reach the ideal equilibrium between physical and online retail, and acquisitions have been the remedy of choice

Application of projection algorithms to differential equations: boundary value problems

The Douglas-Rachford method has been employed successfully to solve many kinds of non-convex feasibility problems. In particular, recent research has shown surprising stability for the method when it is applied to finding the intersections of hypersurfaces. Motivated by these discoveries, we reformulate a second order boundary valued problem (BVP) as a feasibility problem where the sets are hypersurfaces. We show that such a problem may always be reformulated as a feasibility problem on no more than three sets and is well-suited to parallelization. We explore the stability of the method by applying it to several examples of BVPs, including cases where the traditional Newton's method fails

Effects of extrinsic rewards and social comparison on inhibitory control in adults with ADHD symptoms.

The current study was an attempt to understand the links between reward processes, upward social comparisons, and behavioral inhibition in adults with ADHD and ADHD symptoms. Studies have shown that motivation can improve inhibitory control in children with ADHD, but little has been done to show the same effect in adults with ADHD. Additionally, social rewards such as praise and positive feedback have been shown to improve inhibitory control in children with ADHD, though not as strongly as tangible rewards. The current study used monetary rewards as well as false information regarding the performance of other participants to elicit an upwards social comparison. Monetary rewards had the greatest effect on the speed of inhibitory control in the ADHD group. Social comparison did not significantly improve the speed of response inhibition in the ADHD group, and in fact seemed to hurt accuracy. On the other hand, it did improve the speed of response inhibition for the non-ADHD control group. Neither monetary rewards nor the social comparison manipulation significantly affected the accuracy of the participants. Overall, the ADHD and control groups performed similarly. Future research needs to examine any differences that may exist in how individuals with ADHD symptoms use social comparison information when compared to their non-ADHD counterparts

Numerical Computations of Generalized Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equations

We consider the following generalized Korteweg-deVries (KdV) equation ++2+−=0. The above equation is the generalized version of the KDV equation ++2+=0. Here =(,) is a scalar function of ∈and ≥0, while \u3e0 is a parameter. This equation is used to model the unidirectional propagation of water waves. The scalar represents the amplitude of the wave. In this presentation we investigate the various limits of the solutions of the generalized equation as one or more of the parameters as ,, and tend to zero. This is carried out through numerical computations using the pseudo-spectral method

Visualising linked data using GIS: Western Australian Child Development Atlas

Introduction Where people live can strongly influence their level of exposure to health-damaging factors, their vulnerability to poor outcomes, and the consequences of experiencing those poor outcomes. Geographical mapping of child outcomes is therefore an important component of monitoring the health and wellbeing of children and young people. Objectives and Approach The Western Australian Child Development Atlas (CDA) maps population-level administrative, census, registry, and survey data, aggregated at various levels of geography. The project utilises geographic information system (GIS) technologies to identify and investigate spatial patterns in key health, social, learning and development indicators, overlaid by service locations. The CDA is an online, interactive platform that provides policy developers, service providers, communities, and government with access to quality and easily comprehendible spatial data on the outcomes of children and young people. This information helps to identify geographic areas of highest need and priority, and patterns in service distribution relative to need. Results The CDA maps linked and non-linked de-identified aggregated data on children and young people (0-18 years) born or residing in Western Australia from 1990 until 2016. Key indicators from health, social, education, and welfare datasets are mapped at various levels of geography. Using a case example of a WA community, we demonstrate how the CDA can enable policy-makers, service providers, and researchers to better identify priority areas for improved child health and wellbeing, and implement place-based approaches to service delivery. Conclusion/Implications Mapping population data on children’s health and wellbeing can help identify areas of highest need and priority, and facilitate a targeted focus for service delivery within jurisdictional areas, including rural and remote regions. Outcomes can be monitored over time, enabling evaluation of the effectiveness of changes to service and policy

Ex Vivo Recapitulation of Trauma-Induced Coagulopathy and Preliminary Assessment of Trauma Patient Platelet Function Under Flow Using Microfluidic Technology

Background: Relevant to trauma induced coagulopathy (TIC) diagnostics, microfluidic assays allow controlled hemodynamics for testing of platelet and coagulation function using whole blood.Methods: Hemodilution or hyperfibrinolysis was studied under flow with modified healthy whole blood. Furthermore, platelet function was also measured using whole blood from trauma patients admitted to a Level 1 Trauma center. Platelet deposition was measured with PPACK-inhibited blood perfused over collagen surfaces at a wall shear rate of 200 s-1, while platelet/fibrin deposition was measured with corn trypsin inhibitor (CTI)-treated blood perfused over TF/collagen.Results: In hemodilution studies, PPACK-treated blood displayed almost no platelet deposition when diluted to 10% Hct with saline, platelet poor plasma (PPP), or platelet rich plasma (PRP). Using similar dilutions, platelet/fibrin deposition was essentially absent for CTI-treated blood perfused over TF/collagen. To mimic hyperfibrinolysis during trauma, exogenous tPA (50 nM) was added to blood prior to perfusion over TF/collagen. At both venous and arterial flows, the generation and subsequent lysis of fibrin was detectable within 6 min, with lysis blocked by addition of the plasmin inhibitor, [epsilon]-aminocaproic acid. Microfluidic assay of PPACK-inhibited whole blood from trauma patients revealed striking defects in collagen response and secondary platelet aggregation in 14 of 21 patients, while platelet hyperfunction was detected in 3 of 20 patients.Conclusions: Rapid microfluidic detection of (i) hemodilution-dependent impairment of clotting, (ii) clot instability due to lysis, (iii) blockade of fibrinolysis, or (iv) platelet dysfunction during trauma may provide novel diagnostic opportunities to predict TIC risk.Level of Evidence: Level IVStudy type: Diagnostic Tes

Peripheral arterial disease: diagnostic challenges and how photoplethysmography may help

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) affects approximately 20% of patients aged ≥60 years.1 A GP with an average list size of 1800 patients can expect to have 50–60 patients with PAD. Ankle-brachial pressure index (ABPI), which is the ratio of the ankle to brachial systolic pressure measured by sphygmomanometer and hand-held Doppler ultrasound probe, is used to assess PAD in general practice. ABPI has been shown to have a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 99% compared to angiographic imaging,2 however it is relatively time-consuming and requires adequately trained staff. There are limitations with ABPI in patients with diabetes, renal disease, and older people where an underestimation of disease can occur with a falsely high ratio due to the presence of incompressible calcified blood vessels