A Pattern for Distributing Turn-Based Games

A common choice of applications used in introductory computer science courses is from the domain of simple games. Games present some interesting design notions including move, outcome, state, and turn. If one focuses on the notion of a turn a new design is revealed that combines the familiar patterns of the Model- View-Controller architecture and Proxy when the game is played over a network

Functional Parsing — A Multi-Lingual Killer-Application

Monads are used in Haskell to support error handling and a concept of global state such as input/output. Parsing is a killer application for monads. This paper discusses a parser generator implementation for Java and JavaScript and shows how to benefit greatly from object-oriented design patterns based on monads adapted from functional programming. All examples discussed here are available for online use through the links at the end of the paper

Sudoku: A Little Lesson in OOP

Paying only lip service to the principles of object-oriented programming rarely results in the expected benefits. This paper presents a series of designs for a Sudoku application that will lead introductory students through the allimportant process of trial and error. They will see examples of design analysis, criticism, and improvement. The paper concludes with some general pointers why and how the initial mistakes could have been avoided

Design Patterns in Parsing

oops3, targeted to Java and C#, is the latest in a family of LL(1) parser generators based on an object-oriented architecture that carries through to the parsers it generates. Moreover, because oops3 employs several design patterns, its rich variety of APIs are nevertheless easy to learn. This paper discusses the use of patterns in the oops3 system and the resulting benefits for users and educators

Utility to the Nation: An Investment Strategy for our Inland Waterways

USACE Institute for Water Resources (IWR) supplies forward-looking research and analysis to the Civil Works program. IWR investigates navigation of inland waterways across the United States and collects data. The data produced by the Navigation Investment Model (NIM) is not extensively used as an institutionally accepted norm to facilitate evaluation and decision making of infrastructure work packages. This research will present a new method for assessing work packages using a Utility to the Region and Nation (U2RN) metric which complements existing heuristic approaches with predictive data analysis techniques. Application of the new methodology will show how prioritization of work packages would significantly change when using data, and when applying a Monte Carlo simulation to determine future states. This paper provides a framework for waterborne investment that can be applied to the entire inland waterway and deep-sea infrastructure

Impact of technology on patient discharge decision making

Approximately 20 to 25 percent of patients discharged from primary healthcare facilities are readmitted within 30 days at a cost of roughly $42 billion dollars per year to insurance providers. Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) create a network of healthcare providers aimed at improving the quality of patient care within a new 'pay for performance' business model. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 directed the ACOs to establish new accounting practices including financial penalties for unplanned 30-day readmissions. Some unplanned patient readmissions can be caused by inappropriate interventions and in others, patients were unable to comply due to numerous complex social and technical complications. Incentives within the ACA for adoption of electronic health records (EHR) has motivated the rapid creation and adoption of new complementary predictive risk and decision technologies aimed at enhancing discharge decision processes. At least 26 unique risk prediction technologies of varying predictive nature have been created. New technologies are often proposed without methods to guide their design or implementation. The impacts of inserting a new patient discharge risk technology into an expert heuristic-based decision process are not well defined, nor are the acceptance levels of that technology in a highly trained group of healthcare professionals. Research conducted on heuristics and cognitive biases within the healthcare industry is not particular to patient discharge care management, and has not been assessed since the ACA was implemented. This research will present new knowledge about risk technology impacts on expert heuristics and cognitive biases while examining the acceptance of these technologies. Simultaneously, the research presents a methodology rooted in cognitive task analysis methods to analyze current discharge systems and guide training design strategies for health care professionals towards enhancing the quality of patient discharge care

Next Generation Universal Ground Control System HMI Design

The existing Human Machine Interface (HMI) for the Army’s Universal Ground Control Station (UGCS) represents a 1980s, windows-based technology which is neither intuitive nor scalable for operators. It creates high levels of cognitive load on the operators, and its closed architecture limits its adaptability for UAS missions as technologies evolve. This research presents a methodology for creating and evaluating next generation HMI designs while leveraging GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) and TELLUS flight simulation software in the creation of five HMI prototype designs. A proof of concept approach in the evaluation of prototypes was performed with five UAS Aircraft Operators (15W MOS) and five USMA cadets; examination of the impact of age and experience on the perceived value of new HMI designs will influence recommendations on full experimental design. The value-focused approach to design presented in this paper and prototype designs provide a basis for full prototype development and experimental testing through PM UAS with the Intelligence and Maneuver Centers of Excellence. Results include a trade space and sensitivity analysis towards development of improved HMI designs. The methodology and high performing prototypes for HMI design will be integrated by the PM UAS CSI Project Office for further development and full experimental analysis

Antigen-Presenting Cells in Essential Fatty Acid—Deficient Murine Epidermis: Keratinocytes Bearing Class II (Ia) Antigens May Potentiate the Accessory Cell Function of Langerhans Cells

Essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD) is a useful model for studying the role of (n-6) fatty acid metabolism in normal physiology. Because cutaneous manifestations are among the earliest signs of EFAD and because abnormalities in the distribution and function of tissue macrophages have been documented in EFAD rodents, we studied the distribution and function of Class II MHC (Ia) antigen-bearing cells in EFAD CS7B1/6 mouse epidermis. Immunofluorescence studies revealed 1.9–9.6 (mean ± SEM = 5.2 ± 2.6) times more class II MHC (Ia) antigen-bearing epidermal cells in suspensions prepared from EFAD as compared to normal skin. Analysis of epidermal sheets demonstrated similar numbers of dendritic Ia+ and NLDC145+ cells in EFAD and normal epidermis, however. This discrepancy occurred because some keratinocytes in EFAD epidermal sheets expressed class II MHC (Ia) antigens, whereas keratinocytes in normal mouse epidermis did not. Two-color flow cytometry confirmed that all Ia+ cells in normal epidermis are Langerhans (Ia+ NLDC145+) cells, whereas Ia+ cells in EFAD epidermis are comprised of Langerhans cells and a subpopulation of keratinocytes (Ia+ NLDC145-. Similar levels of Ia antigens were expressed on EFAD and normal Langerhans cells. EFAD and normal epidermal cells were also compared in several in vitro assays of accessory cell function. Epidermal cells prepared from EFAD C57B1/6 mice present the protein antigen DNP-Ova to primed helper T cells more effectively than epidermal cells prepared from normal animals. EFAD epidermal cells are also more potent stimulators of T cells in primary and secondary allogeneic mixed lymphocyte-epidermal cell reactions than normal epidermal cells. The functional differences between EFAD and normal epidermal cells do not appear to result from increased cytokine release or decreased prostaglandin production by EFAD epidermal cells. In view of these findings and the observation that the antigen-presenting cell activity of EFAD epidermal cells correlates with the number of Ia+ keratinocytes in epidermal cell preparations, Ia+ keratinocytes (in the presenceof Langerhans cells) may potentiate cutaneous immune responses in vitro and perhaps in vivo as well. these results also suggest that (n-6) fatty acids or metabolites of (n-6) fatty acids are involved in regulating the expression of class II MHC (Ia) antigens by keratinocytes in vivo

Dietary intake relative to cardiovascular disease risk factors in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: The relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and dietary intake is unknown among individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between consumption of selected food groups (dairy, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and meat) and CVD risk factors in individuals with chronic SCI. METHODS: A cross-sectional substudy of individuals with SCI to assess CVD risk factors and dietary intake in comparison with age-, gender-, and race-matched able-bodied individuals enrolled in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Dietary history, blood pressure, waist circumference (WC), fasting blood glucose, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), lipids, glucose, and insulin data were collected from 100 SCI participants who were 38 to 55 years old with SCI >1 year and compared to 100 matched control participants from the CARDIA study. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences between SCI and CARDIA participants were identified in WC (39.2 vs 36.2 in.; P < .001) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; 39.2 vs 47.5 mg/dL; P < .001). Blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, insulin, and hs-CRP were similar between SCI and CARDIA participants. No significant relation between CVD risk factors and selected food groups was seen in the SCI participants. CONCLUSION: SCI participants had adverse WC and HDL-C compared to controls. This study did not identify a relationship between consumption of selected food groups and CVD risk factors