An Examination of Computational Methods Related to G/M/c Queueing

The following examination of computational methods related to queues with general arrivals (i:i:d: but of unknown distribution), multiple identical servers with i:i:d: exponential service times, and ordinary first come, first served service (hereafter referred to as G/M/c to use existing naming conventions) seeks to investigate the current models and provide new results based on a draft convolution method proposed by El-Taha[3]. The new model will demonstrate the use of distributions with coefficients of variance ranging from zero to near infinity to provide flexibility in simulating a range of potential arrival distributions, and we include detailed results and software for both small-scale and large-scale models

Understanding Tendencies of Aggressive Behavior and Cognition as Related to Alcohol Use and Intimate Partner Violence

The term intimate partner violence (IPV) refers to any act of aggression (physical or emotional) committed within an intimate relationship by one partner against the other, regardless of gender, sexual intimacy, or sexual orientation. One of the leading risk factors for IPV is the regular abuse of alcohol (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2014). High levels of alcohol consumption predict an increase in aggression in individuals with aggressive dispositions (Barnwell et al., 2006). Extensive research exists on the relationship between alcohol use and IPV, yet there is a dearth in the literature investigating the complexities of the alcohol use-IPV relationship with automatic aggression- and alcohol-related cognition as mediating factors. The current study sought to investigate these relationships in a sample of 126 college students (Mage = 19.66; SD = 1.46) who were characterized as “social” drinkers (based on the AUDIT screening questionnaire). Correlational analyses revealed a significant relationship between problem drinking and forms of IPV (e.g., sexual coercion and physical assault), as well as between problem drinking and anger as a form of aggression. Results revealed that the strength of negative attitudes associated with violence was relative to the context in which it is being evaluated (e.g., alcohol or recreational behaviors). Furthermore, we were unable to find a significant mediated link between problem drinking and IPV with aggressive tendencies as the mediator. These findings elucidate the complex relationships between cognitive processes, aggressive dispositions, problematic alcohol use, and IPV. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed

A One-Session, Brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workshop for Chronic Pain Patients: A One-Sample Pretest-Posttest Prospective Exploratory Study

Chronic pain affects one in every four persons (NIH, 2010). For individuals residing in rural communities where chronic pain treatment is often not accessible (Artnak et al., 2011), a one-session brief mental health intervention is a critical healthcare need. More specifically, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for chronic pain is a novel treatment approach in need of more research (Society of Clinical Psychology, 2016). This current study contributes to the gap in the literature by implementing an ACT workshop in a rural healthcare setting for individuals with chronic pain. It was hypothesized that the workshop would increase adaptive coping mechanisms such as total pain acceptance, activity engagement, and pain willingness. Additionally, it was hypothesized that the workshop would decrease pain catastrophizing post-workshop. Nineteen participants completed pre- and four-week post-workshop questionnaires. The results of this study indicated that those who attended the workshop reported higher total pain acceptance and pain willingness as measured by the CPAQ-R (McCracken et al., 2004). There were no significant results for pain catastrophizing and activity engagement. A majority of the participants who attended the workshop and completed the follow-up questionnaires reported satisfaction with the group and would refer their family and friends to a similar workshop. Future recommendations are aimed at increasing intervention repertoire and providing insight on group composition and workshop layout

Optimal design of multi-arm multi-stage trials.

In drug development, there is often uncertainty about the most promising among a set of different treatments. Multi-arm multi-stage (MAMS) trials provide large gains in efficiency over separate randomised trials of each treatment. They allow a shared control group, dropping of ineffective treatments before the end of the trial and stopping the trial early if sufficient evidence of a treatment being superior to control is found. In this paper, we discuss optimal design of MAMS trials. An optimal design has the required type I error rate and power but minimises the expected sample size at some set of treatment effects. Finding an optimal design requires searching over stopping boundaries and sample size, potentially a large number of parameters. We propose a method that combines quick evaluation of specific designs and an efficient stochastic search to find the optimal design parameters. We compare various potential designs motivated by the design of a phase II MAMS trial. We also consider allocating more patients to the control group, as has been carried out in real MAMS studies. We show that the optimal allocation to the control group, although greater than a 1:1 ratio, is smaller than previously advocated and that the gain in efficiency is generally small.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Elm Farm Organic Research Centre Bulletin 83 April 2006

Regular bulleting with technical updates from Organic Advisory Service Issue contains: Testing for Tolerance - a pragmatic view GM Debate Vaccination nation - to jab or not to jab Future shape of OCIS Evolutionary wheat makes the grade? NIAB tracks health of organic cereal seed Stopping erosion of soil quality - the organic way Care needed to halt butterfly collapse Aspects of poultry behaviour: How free range is free range? On choosing an organic wheat A local education challenge New Wakelyns Science Building Organic vegetable market growt

Multi-arm multi-stage trials can improve the efficiency of finding effective treatments for stroke: a case study.

BACKGROUND: Many recent Stroke trials fail to show a beneficial effect of the intervention late in the development. Currently a large number of new treatment options are being developed. Multi-arm multi-stage (MAMS) designs offer one potential strategy to avoid lengthy studies of treatments without beneficial effects while at the same time allowing evaluation of several novel treatments. In this paper we provide a review of what MAMS designs are and argue that they are of particular value for Stroke trials. We illustrate this benefit through a case study based on previous published trials of endovascular treatment for acute ischemic stroke. We show in this case study that MAMS trials provide additional power for the same sample size compared to alternative trial designs. This level of additional power depends on the recruitment length of the trial, with most efficiency gained when recruitment is relatively slow. We conclude with a discussion of additional considerations required when starting a MAMS trial. CONCLUSION: MAMS trial designs are potentially very useful for stroke trials due to their improved statistical power compared to the traditional approach.This work was supported in part by grants the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR-SRF-2015-08-001, TJ), the Medical Research Council (SLAH/210 JW)

Optimal design for multi-arm multi-stage clinical trials

RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are.Peer Reviewe

A Public Trust or the Common Good: Medical Professionalism and Medical Education in Nineteenth- and Twentieth Century Maine

During the time that the Medical School of Maine was educating men and women from Maine and other New England states, the profession of medicine and American society in general were undergoing a period of sweeping change. Advancement in medical knowledge, in the midst of an industrial revolution, created opportunities for, as well as expectations of, the profession, which formed the basis for the modern practice of medicine and the contemporary concept of professionalism in medicine. This paper chronicles the 100-year period of medical education by the Medical School of Maine, the ultimate demise of the institution, and the legacy that it created for the profession of medicine in the State of Maine. Dr. Thomas Keating is a Maine native and a graduate of Bowdoin College. He attended Tufts University School of Medicine and, since 1988, has practiced medical oncology and palliative medicine at New England Cancer Specialists in Brunswick. He has received master’s degrees in health policy and management and in bioethics. Dr. Keating lives with his wife in Brunswick, has a son and daughter, and enjoys running and baking bread. The author would like to extend special thanks to the George Mitchell Department of Special Collections and Archives at Bowdoin College and the Archives of the Medical Library of Maine Medical Center