The Relationship Between the Coefficients and Roots of Polynomials of Degrees N

This paper is to develope and show some of the relations between coefficient and roots of polynomials of degree N

Prescheduled Appointments As A Strategy To Improve Follow-Up Rates Among At-Risk Individuals Identified During Community-Based Glaucoma Screenings

Purpose: To investigate whether pre-scheduled appointments increase follow-up rates among participants identified as at-risk for glaucoma during a community-based glaucoma screening. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Between May 2010 and October 2012 we screened 362 underserved individuals age 40 years or older for glaucoma within the Greater New Haven Area. Screening modalities included visual acuity, automated perimetry, portable tonometry and ophthalmoscopy. Participants with abnormal screening results were randomized to receive either a pre-scheduled appointment for a low-cost complete eye exam within 7-10 days of the date of screening (intervention), or standard counseling (control). Follow-up rates were determined via clinical records and phone surveys and analyzed using Chi-square test with significance set at p\u3c0.05. Results: The overall follow-up rate among positively screened participants was 30% (n=63). Forty-one percent in the intervention group (n=22) successfully followed up compared to 24% of controls (n=41, p=0.173). Ethnicity (p=0.584), gender (p=0.681), age (p=0.792), access to car (p=0.425), living situation (p=0.893), health insurance status (p=565), or tobacco use (p=0.486) did not independently affect follow-up rates, nor did having an established eye care provider (p=0.118) or diabetes (p=0.334). Among participants lacking access to a car, the follow-up rate among those with prescheduled appointments was 66.7%, compared to 5.3% among controls (OR 36.0; 95% CI 3.1-414.9). Among participants lacking health insurance, the follow-up rate was 46.7% in the intervention group compared to 7.0% among controls (OR 12.3; 95% CI 1.3-118.4). Among those who lived alone or used tobacco, follow-up rates were higher in the intervention group (OR 1.8, 95% CI 0.29-11.2; OR 2.3 95% CI 0.23-22.1, respectively). Conclusion: Provision of pre-scheduled follow-up appointments to glaucoma suspects at the time of screening does not lead to a significant increase in overall follow-up rates. This intervention may, however, prove both clinically valuable and cost-effective when offered specifically to individuals lacking access to a car and/or health insurance

A Dynamic Blend: The Study of Traditional Ghanaian Dance in Connection with American Hip-Hop and Tap

Objective: The goal of this study is to explore the composition of dance that blends traditional Ghanaian dance with movements from American hip-hop and tap. In order to achieve this goal, the objectives were: i. To study traditional dances from West Africa, especially Ghana, including the movements, histories, and meanings ii. To learn about the process of choreographing traditional dances for the stage, particularly as dances from other cultures are blended in iii. To investigate the risks and rewards of the cultural exchange and transformation that occur when traditional dance is mixed with other forms Methodology: Research involved learning several traditional dances from West Africa in addition to a few dances choreographed using both traditional and contemporary African movements. Research also consisted of composing a piece using the vocabulary from traditional dances learned and from hip-hop and tap from America. Furthermore, research included observation at dance rehearsals at two schools: at an international school, which involved participation in drumming; and at a senior high school, which involved participation in dancing and including students in the blended choreography. Finally, interviews were conducted with various members of the Ghanaian dance community. Findings: The movements of traditional West African dance have many similarities to the movements of American hip-hop and tap. The styles are aesthetically pleasing when fused together in a composition. Still, traditional dances express cultures that must be respected and not distorted when modified. It can be exciting to blend different forms of dance and to note the universal qualities, but one must be aware that preserving culture through maintaining traditional dance is an important part of multicultural appreciation. Conclusion: Research must be approached with respect for other cultures. Learning about traditional dance and drumming before creating a composition was necessary. More time could have been spent understanding what a range of people in Ghana think about the study, and it would be interesting to compare the perspectives of different generations

ANOFTALMIJA: NENASLJEDNA DEFORMACIJA OČIJU KOD TILAPIJE Oreochromis mossambicus

Seven male Oreochromis mossambicus with anophthalmia were found in a hatchery population. The deformity was not observed in either the Fl or F2 generations; consequently, it was a non-heritable congenital deformity.U populaciji uzgajanih tilapija Oreochromis mossambicus nadeno je sedum mužjaka s izraženom očnom deformacijom anoftalmijom. Oni su upotrijebljeni u križanjima koja su proizvela 11 porodica F1 generacije, te porodicu F2 generacije s 42 ribe. Kako niti kod jednog potomka ova deformacija nije utvrđena, može se zaključiti da je anoftalmija nenasljedna kongenitalna deformacija

Performance bonds under the Federal Acquisition Streamling Act (1994)

With the passage of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act (FASA) of 1994, the U.S. Federal Government set in motion a process which is intended to reform the federal acquisition process with the aim of achieving greater efficiency and value. Although numerous initiatives have been adopted in pursuit of this goal, one area which has been neglected is performance bonds. In keeping with the Total Quality Management (TQM) objective of reaping benefits from the 'low hanging fruit' first, this paper examines the potential savings available as a result of relatively minor changes to the way requirements for performance bonds on Navy construction contracts are determined. The result is savings which appear to be 'hanging low' indeed. By shifting to a risk-based system of requiring performance bonds only on those contract with an appreciable default risk, savings of 0.5% to 1.0% of the gross cost of construction appear to be available with very little loss potentialhttp://archive.org/details/performancebonds00tav

NOVI DIZAJN ZRAČNE PUMPE KOJA SE KORISTI U SPREMNICIMA ZA UZGOJ RIBE KOD UGROŽENE SREBRNE BJELICE IZ RIJEKE RIO GRANDE (Hybognathus amarus)

This article describes an airlift pump used to produce a circular flow in a fish culture tank that does not attach to the tank. The design produces an airlift pump that does not swing back and forth or float upwards while in use. It is easy to build, inexpensive, and can be quickly installed and removed so that it does not interfere with sampling or harvest. The airlift pump was evaluated during a 30-d survival trial with the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus) in 2.44-m-diameter circular tanks (3,666 l). Because the fish is endangered, all new culture units must be evaluated in a survival trial. To be able to use a new 15-tank system, survival had to be evaluated in a random representation of three tanks. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which regulates all activities with this endangered species, decided that permitted take (maximum permitted mortality) was 60% for the survival trial; consequently, survival >40% in each tank would be considered successful. Two airlift pumps were placed in each tank. The two airlift pumps moved a mean±SD of 33.697±5.563 l/min; this produced total tank turnovers through the airlift pumps of 110.65±16.93 min. Water velocities were measured at nine locations in the tanks. Water velocities were 0.0-0.04 m/sec. Dissolved oxygen concentration never went below 6.30 mg/l. The airlift pumps operated flawlessly and required no maintenance. They produced water velocities preferred by the fish and helped keep dissolved oxygen concentration above the permitted minimum (5 mg/l). The airlift pumps will be used in future fish culture activities in these and other tanks. Survival in the three tanks was 78%, 94% and 96%; overall survival was 89.3%. Because take (10.7%) was under the permitted level (60%), the trial was successful.Ovaj rad opisuje zračnu pumpu koja se koristi za stvaranje kružnoga toka u spremniku za uzgoj ribe koja se ne pričvršćuje za spremnik. Takav dizajn pomaže pumpi da se ne miće naprijed-nazad ili da pluta prema gore dok se koristi. Lako ju je izraditi, nije skupa te ju je jednostavno montirati i ukloniti da ne smeta prilikom uzorkovanja ili ulova. Zračna pumpa je ispitivana tijekom 30-dnevnog testa preživljavanja ugrožene vrste srebrne bjelice iz rijeke Rio Grande (Hybognathus amarus) u kružnim tankovima dijametra širine 2,44 metra (3.666 l). Budući da je ova vrsta ugrožena, potrebno je procijeniti sve nove jedinice za uzgoj pomoću testa preživljavanja. Kako bi bilo moguće koristiti novi sustav od 15 spremnika, potrebno je procijeniti preživljavanje u nasumičnom prikazu triju spremnika. Fish and Wildlife Service iz S.A.D.-a, koji regulira sve aktivnosti ove ugrožene vrste, odlučio je da je maksimalna dozvoljena smrtnost 60% za test preživljavanja; prema tome, preživljavanje >40% u svakom spremniku se smatra uspješnim. Po dvije zračne pumpe su stavljene u svaki spremnik. Dvije zračne pumpe su pomicale prosječno±SD od 33,697±5,563 l/min; ovo je proizvelo kompletnu izmjenu volumena spremnika pomoću zračnih pumpi od 110,65±16,93 min. Brzina vode se mjerila na devet mjesta u spremnicima. Brzina vode je bila 0,0-0,04 m/s. Koncentracija otopljenog kisika ni u jednom trenutku nije pala ispod 6,30 mg/l. Zračne pumpe su radile besprijekorno i nisu zahtijevale održavanje. Proizvodile su brzinu vode koja je pogodovala ribi te je omogućavala da se koncentracija otopljenog kisika održi iznad dozvoljenog minimuma (5 mg/l). Zračne pumpe će se koristiti u budućim aktivnostima uzgoja ribe u ovim i drugim spremnicima. Preživljavanje u trima spremnicima bilo je 78%, 94% i 96%; ukupno preživljavanje bilo je 89,3%. Budući da je smrtnost bila (10,7%) ispod dozvoljene razine (60%), test se smatra uspjelim

Computational Control Workstation: Users' perspectives

A Workstation has been designed and constructed for rapidly simulating motions of rigid and elastic multibody systems. We examine the Workstation from the point of view of analysts who use the machine in an industrial setting. Two aspects of the device distinguish it from other simulation programs. First, one uses a series of windows and menus on a computer terminal, together with a keyboard and mouse, to provide a mathematical and geometrical description of the system under consideration. The second hallmark is a facility for animating simulation results. An assessment of the amount of effort required to numerically describe a system to the Workstation is made by comparing the process to that used with other multibody software. The apparatus for displaying results as a motion picture is critiqued as well. In an effort to establish confidence in the algorithms that derive, encode, and solve equations of motion, simulation results from the Workstation are compared to answers obtained with other multibody programs. Our study includes measurements of computational speed

Evaluation of Internet-Based Dengue Query Data: Google Dengue Trends

Dengue is a common and growing problem worldwide, with an estimated 70–140 million cases per year. Traditional, healthcare-based, government-implemented dengue surveillance is resource intensive and slow. As global Internet use has increased, novel, Internet-based disease monitoring tools have emerged. Google Dengue Trends (GDT) uses near real-time search query data to create an index of dengue incidence that is a linear proxy for traditional surveillance. Studies have shown that GDT correlates highly with dengue incidence in multiple countries on a large spatial scale. This study addresses the heterogeneity of GDT at smaller spatial scales, assessing its accuracy at the state-level in Mexico and identifying factors that are associated with its accuracy. We used Pearson correlation to estimate the association between GDT and traditional dengue surveillance data for Mexico at the national level and for 17 Mexican states. Nationally, GDT captured approximately 83% of the variability in reported cases over the 9 study years. The correlation between GDT and reported cases varied from state to state, capturing anywhere from 1% of the variability in Baja California to 88% in Chiapas, with higher accuracy in states with higher dengue average annual incidence. A model including annual average maximum temperature, precipitation, and their interaction accounted for 81% of the variability in GDT accuracy between states. This climate model was the best indicator of GDT accuracy, suggesting that GDT works best in areas with intense transmission, particularly where local climate is well suited for transmission. Internet accessibility (average ∼36%) did not appear to affect GDT accuracy. While GDT seems to be a less robust indicator of local transmission in areas of low incidence and unfavorable climate, it may indicate cases among travelers in those areas. Identifying the strengths and limitations of novel surveillance is critical for these types of data to be used to make public health decisions and forecasting models

Some Advice for Physicians and Other Clinicians Treating Minorities, Women, and Other Patients at Risk of Receiving Health Care Disparities

Studies of inequalities in health care have documented 13 groups of patients who receive disparate care. Disparities are partly due to socioeconomic factors, but nonsocioeconomic factors also play a large contributory role. This article reviews nonsocioeconomic factors, including unconscious bias, stereotyping, racism, gender bias, and limited English proficiency. The authors discuss the clinician’s role in addressing these factors and reducing their impact on the quality of health care. They indicate the significance of cultural humility on the part of caregivers as a means of amelioration. Based on a review of the clinician’s role as well as background considerations in the health care environment, the authors put forward a set of 18 recommendations in the form of a checklist. They posit that implementing these recommendations as part of the patient clinician interaction will maximize the delivery of equitable care, even in the absence of desirable in-depth cross-cultural and psychosocial literacy on the part of the clinician. Trust, mutual respect, and understanding on the part of the caregiver and patient are crucial to optimizing therapeutic outcomes. The guidelines incorporated here are tools to furthering this goal

BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATIONS OF THE ENDANGERED RIO GRANDE SILVERY MINNOW IN A CONSERVATION AQUACULTURE FACILITY

Glavni razlog zašto konzervatorska akvakultura poboljšava uspjeh ribarstva uz pomoć akvakulture je taj što tradicionalna akvakultura proizvodi ribe slabo prilagođenog ponašanja. Do takvih obrazaca ponašanja dolazi zbog domestikacije i uzgojnih tehnika, a prevencija slabo prilagođenog ponašanja iziskuje integraciju poboljšanja genetičkog menadžmenta i uzgojnih protokola. Mnogo pažnje pridodaje se genetičkim protokolima potrebnim za smanjene genetskih promjena izazvanih umjetnim mrijestom, no mnogo se manje truda ulaže u načine uzgoja riba. Konzervatorska akvakultura uzgaja ribe u uvjetima nalik na njihova prirodna staništa, pa se nakon poribljavanja ponašaju poput divljih jedinki svoje vrste, a ne poput riba iz uzgajališta. Postrojenja građena za konzervacijsku akvakulturu mogu se koristiti kako bi se naučilo više o ponašanju riba te njihovim reakcijama na promjene u okolišu, što se teško proučava u otvorenim vodama te je predstavlja veliki trošak. Ta promatranja mogu pomoći u upravljanju prirodne oplodnje i oporavka vrsta. Ovaj rad daje obrazloženje zašto je potrebno promijeniti genetički menadžment, sustav uzgoja te prakse upravljanja, kako bi se proizvodila riba ponašanjem slična divljoj ribi za ribolovne programe poribljavanja iz akvakulture. Zatim daje opis nekih obrazaca ponašanja ugrožene vrste Hybognathus amarus koji su promatrani u Los Lunas Silvery Minnow Refugium, postrojenju izgrađenom u svrhu konzervacijske akvakulture te objašnjava kako se neki od tih obrazaca ponašanja mogu primijeniti u menadžmentu uzgoja i oporavka. Opisana ponašanja su: koordinirano plivanje jata riba, izbjegavanje predatora; hranjenje; uporaba vegetacije za sklanjanje i sakrivanje od predatora; korištenje staništa dna supstrata; pozicija u vodenom stupcu; uzvodno kretanje preko ribljih staza; uzvodno kretanje u području brzog toka; odgovori na promjene razine vode; mriještenje; izbjegavanje mreže; i Kaah-chee-nyee Srkaash, ponašanje koje je opisano prvi put.A major reason why conservation aquaculture is needed to improve the success of aquaculture-assisted fisheries is that traditional production aquaculture produces fish with mal-adaptive behaviors. These behaviors can be produced via domestication and culture techniques, and preventing these mal-adaptive behaviors requires integrating improvements in genetic management and culture protocols. The genetic protocols needed to minimize hatchery-induced genetic changes have received considerable attention, but changing the way fish are raised has received less effort. Conservation aquaculture cultures fish in environments that resemble their native habitats so that when stocked, they behave like wild fish rather than hatchery fish. A purpose built-conservation aquaculture facility can also be used to learn about a species’ behavior and how it reacts to changes in the environment, something which can be difficult or expensive to study in the wild. These observations can then be used to help direct both propagation and recovery management. This paper provides the rationale for why genetic management, culture systems, and management practices need to be altered to produce fish that are behaviorally similar to wild fish for aquaculture-assisted fisheries programs. It then provides a description of some of the behaviors of the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow Hybognathus amarus that were observed at the Los Lunas Silvery Minnow Refugium, a purpose-built conservation aquaculture facility, and explains how some of these behaviors can be used in culture and recovery management. Behaviors described are: schooling; predator avoidance; feeding behavior; use of vegetation for cover and predator avoidance; habitat use by bottom substrate; location in the water column; upstream movement via a fish ladder; movement upstream in a high-velocity channel; response to changes in water level; spawning behavior; seine avoidance; and Kaah-chee-nyee Srkaash, a behavior described for the first time