Reasoning about real-time systems with temporal interval logic constraints on multi-state automata

Models of real-time systems using a single paradigm often turn out to be inadequate, whether the paradigm is based on states, rules, event sequences, or logic. A model-based approach to reasoning about real-time systems is presented in which a temporal interval logic called TIL is employed to define constraints on a new type of high level automata. The combination, called hierarchical multi-state (HMS) machines, can be used to model formally a real-time system, a dynamic set of requirements, the environment, heuristic knowledge about planning-related problem solving, and the computational states of the reasoning mechanism. In this framework, mathematical techniques were developed for: (1) proving the correctness of a representation; (2) planning of concurrent tasks to achieve goals; and (3) scheduling of plans to satisfy complex temporal constraints. HMS machines allow reasoning about a real-time system from a model of how truth arises instead of merely depending of what is true in a system

Correlation of intrinsic DNA curvature with DNA property periodicity

AbstractTwelve di- and trinucleotide parameter sets representing various structural, thermodynamic or bendability-related properties of DNA were tested in the prediction of DNA curvature applying Fourier analysis on curved and straight, A/T-type or G/C-type DNA sequence motifs. The best predictions were obtained with a new consensus bendability scale created by combining a nucleosome-based and a deoxyribonuclease I-based parameter set. Geometry calculations on the same sequences showed that the helical parameters derived from NMR structures can correctly predict curvature, as distinct from the parameters derived from X-ray crystallographic analysis

Rachmaninoff and the Flexibility of the Score: Issues Regarding Performance Practice

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s piano music is a staple of piano literature, but academia has been slower to embrace his works. Because he continued to compose firmly in the Romantic tradition at a time when Debussy, Stravinsky, and Schoenberg variously represented the vanguard of composition, Rachmaninoff’s popularity has consequently not been as robust in the musicological community. He left a rich legacy of recorded material which provides a first-hand account of his approach to musical interpretation. Few have analyzed Rachmaninoff’s recordings in great detail, and there are even fewer studies addressing Rachmaninoff’s performances of works by other composers. The aim of this dissertation is to analyze the discrepancies between the printed score and Rachmaninoff’s recordings of his own works and works by other composers, and to explore the reasons for these differences. By charting these variations from the printed scores in his recordings of Schumann’s Carnaval, Op. 9 and Chopin’s Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 35, two recordings that Rachmaninoff identified as some of his finest work, these differences can be shown to reflect his prioritization of the architectural vision over the smaller details written in the score. Rachmaninoff’s revisions to his own scores have direct connections to his interpretive choices and priorities, and his edits aimed to improve the structural projection of the piece as a whole. By examining these differences, the reader can also begin to anticipate what interpretive goals Rachmaninoff might generally have throughout his compositions, thereby deriving a deeper understanding of Rachmaninoff’s compositional and interpretive aesthetics, and, for pianists, better and more authentically informing their own interpretive choices

A Methodology to Capture the Acoustic Properties of Small Unmanned Aerial System Noise Using a Novel Frequency Weighting

As the advent of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) draws near, the obstacles to such vehicles and operations grow larger. One of these obstacles is the noise created through the operation of these air vehicles. Noise is a public concern as excessive exposure has been shown to contribute to lack of sleep, lack of cognitive abilities in children, and decline in overall cardiac health. There is extensive noise policy for traditional aircraft; however, no noise policy exists for vehicles in the category of UAM. In this thesis, the understanding of small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) noise is detailed by investigating the competence of current metrics to describe the annoyance that is created by such vehicles. With regulatory entities such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) forecasting the viability of last mile delivery by sUASs by 2030, it is imperative that acoustical understanding is developed in parallel with this emerging technology. As a part of a NASA research effort, the Design Environment for Novel Vertical Lift Vehicles (DELIVER), a psychoacoustic test on sUASs was conducted to measure human annoyance toward these vehicles in comparison to current delivery vehicles. The study had two main findings: at the same decibel level, test subjects found sUASs more annoying than they did delivery vehicles and the correlation between annoyance and decibel level using four different noise metrics was relatively low. In a preliminary comparison of spectral content between a helicopter and one of the sUASs in this study, it is shown that the sUAS’s spectral content has more tones in the region of frequencies in which humans are especially sensitive. To account for human sensitivity to these tones, the hypothesis is posed: A new frequency weighting, which allows Sound Exposure Level to better correlate with human annoyance caused by an sUAS noise event, will create a larger SEL contour area that is more indicative of sUAS noise. In the first phase of the approach, this hypothesis was tested by creating a design of experiments of different frequency weightings to find a new weighting with a higher correlation coefficient. The resulting frequency weighting (the X-weighting) increased the R2 value from 0.784 to 0.853. In the second phase, Sound Exposure Level contours were created using the new frequency weighting and current frequency weightings in ANOPP2. The SEL 65 dB contour experienced a 79%, 18%, and 78% increase in width, length and area respectively between then X- and the A-weighting for one of the sUASs investigated. This methodology grants stakeholders such as regulators and original equipment manufacturers a process to assess frequency weightings and their efficacy in capturing human annoyance; in doing so, this could enable all sUAS stakeholders to create a common “language” with which to discuss the noise created by these vehicles effectively.M.S

The Impact of Student Pharmacists at Health Fair Events

Objectives. To evaluate student pharmacists’ impact on health fair participant knowledge of selected disease states and to evaluate the intent of health fair participants with abnormal screening results to seek follow-up care within 1 month of screening. Methods. Health fair participants were assessed for changes in their knowledge of specific diseases before and after screenings. Participants’ intent to seek health care was assessed through a survey instrument developed using Rosenstock’s Health Belief Model. Results. Increases in participant knowledge of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and body mass index were significant, and 78% of participants with abnormal results intended to contact a provider. Conclusions. Student pharmacists’ had a positive impact on health fair participants’ disease knowledge and intent to follow up with a provider

Cognitive Information Processing

Contains reports on four research projects.Joint Services Electronics Programs (U. S. Army, U. S. Navy, and U. S. Air Force) under Contract DA 36-039-AMC-03200(E)National Science Foundation (Grant GK-835)National Institutes of Health (Grant 2 PO1 MH-04737-06)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NsG-496

The role of substance P in secondary pathophysiology after traumatic brain injury

It has recently been shown that substance P (SP) plays a major role in the secondary injury process following traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly with respect to neuroinflammation, increased blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, and edema formation. Edema formation is associated with the development of increased intracranial pressure (ICP) that has been widely associated with increased mortality and morbidity after neurotrauma. However, a pharmacological intervention to specifically reduce ICP is yet to be developed, with current interventions limited to osmotic therapy rather than addressing the cause of increased ICP. Given that previous publications have shown that SP, NK1 receptor antagonists reduce edema after TBI, more recent studies have examined whether these compounds might also reduce ICP and improve brain oxygenation after TBI. We discuss the results of these studies, which demonstrate that NK1 antagonists reduce posttraumatic ICP to near normal levels within 4 h of drug administration, as well as restoring brain oxygenation to near normal levels in the same time frame. The improvements in these parameters occurred in association with an improvement in BBB integrity to serum proteins, suggesting that SP-mediated increases in vascular permeability significantly contribute to the development of increased ICP after acute brain injury. NK1 antagonists may therefore provide a novel, mechanistically targeted approach to the management of increased ICP.Robert Vink, Levon Gabrielian and Emma Thornto

Engaging stakeholders to inform national implementation of critical time intervention in a program serving homeless-experienced Veterans

The Veterans Affairs (VA) Grant and Per Diem Case Management “Aftercare” program provides 6 months of case management for homeless-experienced Veterans (HEVs) transitioning to permanent housing, with the aim of decreasing returns to homelessness. Implementing Critical Time Intervention (CTI)—an evidence-based case management practice—would standardize care across the 128 community-based agencies that provide Aftercare services. To prepare for national CTI implementation in Aftercare, guided by Replicating Effective Programs (REP), we conducted a four-site pilot in which we adapted a CTI implementation package (training, technical assistance, and external facilitation); characterized stakeholder perspectives regarding the acceptability and appropriateness of this package; and identified contextual factors that affected CTI implementation. We engaged a stakeholder workgroup to tailor existing CTI training and technical assistance materials for Aftercare. To provide tailored support for providers and leaders to adopt and incorporate evidence-based practices (EBPs) into routine care, we also developed external facilitation materials and processes. Over 9 months, we implemented this package at four sites. We conducted semi-structured interviews at pre-implementation, mid-implementation, and 6 months post-implementation, with HEVs (n = 37), case managers (n = 16), supervisors (n = 10), and VA leaders (n = 4); these data were integrated with templated reflection notes from the project facilitator. We used rapid qualitative analysis and targeted coding to assess the acceptability and appropriateness of CTI and our implementation package and identify factors influencing CTI implementation. Stakeholders generally found CTI acceptable and appropriate; there was consensus that components of CTI were useful and compatible for this setting. To adapt our implementation package for scale-up, this pilot highlighted the value of robust and tangible CTI training and technical assistance—grounded in real-world cases—that highlights the congruence of CTI with relevant performance metrics. Variations in agency-level contextual factors may necessitate more intense and tailored supports to implement and sustain complex EBPs like CTI. Processes used in this pilot are relevant for implementing other EBPs in organizations that serve vulnerable populations. EBP scale-up and sustainment can be enhanced by engaging stakeholders to tailor EBPs for specific contexts; pilot testing and refining implementation packages for scale-up; and using qualitative methods to characterize contextual factors that affect EBP implementation

Genomic analyses of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from human lung resections reveal a high frequency of polyclonal infections

Polyclonal infections occur when at least two unrelated strains of the same pathogen are detected in an individual. This has been linked to worse clinical outcomes in tuberculosis, as undetected strains with different antibiotic resistance profiles can lead to treatment failure. Here, we examine the amount of polyclonal infections in sputum and surgical resections from patients with tuberculosis in the country of Georgia. For this purpose, we sequence and analyse the genomes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from the samples, acquired through an observational clinical study (NCT02715271). Access to the lung enhanced the detection of multiple strains (40% of surgery cases) as opposed to just using a sputum sample (0-5% in the general population). We show that polyclonal infections often involve genetically distant strains and can be associated with reversion of the patient's drug susceptibility profile over time. In addition, we find different patterns of genetic diversity within lesions and across patients, including mutational signatures known to be associated with oxidative damage; this suggests that reactive oxygen species may be acting as a selective pressure in the granuloma environment. Our results support the idea that the magnitude of polyclonal infections in high-burden tuberculosis settings is underestimated when only testing sputum samples