283 research outputs found

    Mordell-Weil group as Galois modules

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    We study the action of the Galois group GG of a finite extension K/kK/k of number fields on the points on an elliptic curve EE. For an odd prime pp, we aim to determine the structure of the pp-adic completion of the Mordell-Weil group E(K)E(K) as a Zp[G]\mathbb{Z}_p[G]-module only using information of EE over kk and the completions of KK

    How wearable sensors have been utilised to evaluate frailty in older adults: a systematic review

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    Abstract Background Globally the population of older adults is increasing. It is estimated that by 2050 the number of adults over the age of 60 will represent over 21% of the world’s population. Frailty is a clinical condition associated with ageing resulting in an increase in adverse outcomes. It is considered the greatest challenge facing an ageing population affecting an estimated 16% of community-dwelling populations worldwide. Aim The aim of this systematic review is to explore how wearable sensors have been used to assess frailty in older adults. Method Electronic databases Medline, Science Direct, Scopus, and CINAHL were systematically searched March 2020 and November 2020. A search constraint of articles published in English, between January 2010 and November 2020 was applied. Papers included were primary observational studies involving; older adults aged > 60 years, used a wearable sensor to provide quantitative measurements of physical activity (PA) or mobility and a measure of frailty. Studies were excluded if they used non-wearable sensors for outcome measurement or outlined an algorithm or application development exclusively. The methodological quality of the selected studies was assessed using the Appraisal Tool for Cross-sectional Studies (AXIS). Results Twenty-nine studies examining the use of wearable sensors to assess and discriminate between stages of frailty in older adults were included. Thirteen different body-worn sensors were used in eight different body-locations. Participants were community-dwelling older adults. Studies were performed in home, laboratory or hospital settings. Postural transitions, number of steps, percentage of time in PA and intensity of PA together were the most frequently measured parameters followed closely by gait speed. All but one study demonstrated an association between PA and level of frailty. All reports of gait speed indicate correlation with frailty. Conclusions Wearable sensors have been successfully used to evaluate frailty in older adults. Further research is needed to identify a feasible, user-friendly device and body-location that can be used to identify signs of pre-frailty in community-dwelling older adults. This would facilitate early identification and targeted intervention to reduce the burden of frailty in an ageing population

    Classification of Frailty among Community Dwelling Older Adults Using Parameters of Physical Activity Obtained Independently and Unsupervised

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    The global population is ageing at an unprecedented rate, with the percentage of those aged over 65 years expected to double and those aged over 80 years expected to treble by the year 2050. With ageing comes biological and physiological changes that affect functional capacity. Frailty is a potentially avoidable, reversible biopsychosocial condition associated with biological but not chronological age, affecting a quarter of all community-dwelling older adults. Frailty results in disability, increased dependency and institutionalisation. Screening for frailty could help reduce its prevalence and mitigate the adverse outcomes however, traditional screening tools are time-consuming to perform, require clinician input and by their subjective nature are flawed. The use of wearable sensors has been proposed as a means of screening for frailty and parameters of mobility and physical activity have been identified as being associated with frailty. The goal of this thesis was to examine if community-dwelling older adults could capture parameters of mobility and physical activity independently in their own home and if these parameters could discriminate between frail and non-frail status. This work provides evidence that a single parameter of mobility and physical activity obtained from a single body-worn sensor correlates with frailty. It also provides evidence that community-dwelling older adults can independently capture parameters of mobility and physical activity, unsupervised in their own home using a consumer-grade wearable device, and that these data can predict pre-frailty and frailty with acceptable accuracy. Thresholds for parameters of physical activity predictive of frailty have been identified. The results of this thesis will guide future work to focus community-dwelling older adults on the importance of frailty screening and guide the development of a user-friendly device or sensor system suitable for use by older adults for continuous data collection relevant to frailty

    Dielectrics for narrow bandgap III-V devices

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    Indium antimonide is a narrow bandgap semiconduct or material with properties that make it ideal for mid-infrared opto electronics, ultra-high speed electronics and emerging spin-based quantum technologies. A significant limitation to its practical application is the lack of a dielectric technology for surface passivation and gate control. Modelling and analysis techniques for MOS capacitors have been tailored to InSb and verified, including nonparabolic band structure models and oxide capacitance extraction methods. High-field effects, such as Zener tunnelling and impact ionisa-tion, have been modelled to identify limitations on material doping (<1016 cm-3) and quantisation effects have been similarly modelled to verify their impact on characterisation and analysis. InSb/Al2O3 MOS capacitor test structures have been fabricated to investigate a series of dielectric deposition processes. Wet chemical treatments using HCl were found to produce an InCl3 surface layer, but only if diluted in and rinsed with isopropanol. This layer was associated with a flat band voltage shift of +0.79V.HCl treatment was found to reduce hysteresis voltage but not significantly affect other figures of merit. In-situ plasma pretreatments were found to cause deterioration in MOSCAP structures, in particular increased DC leakage current. Post-metallisation annealing was investigated and optimum treatments determined to be around 300°C, 1 hr. At 400°C or greater, MOSCAP behaviour broke down, showing increased frequency dispersion and potential shift top-type behaviour. Some AlInSb layers were grown but provided limited information on the effect of Al composition, with layers significantly affected by growth methods and material strain. Alternative dielectrics were also examined. AlN offered slightly improved hysteresis but slightly increased interface trap density, whereas HfO2 produced dete-rioration in all figures of merit, particularly hysteresis voltage. These results pro- vide a foundation for further process development and integration into improved FET/diode device structures

    The Unified Legal Skills Program: How One Law School Adapted to Meet the Needs of Students Online, and How Those Adaptations May Inform Post-Pandemic Teaching

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    When CWSL was forced to switch to online learning for the COVID-19 pandemic, we worked hard to follow best practices for online learning by attending online conferences and voraciously reading everything we could find to make the learning experience the best we could for our students. CWSL\u27s Legal Skills program earned high praise in student evaluations for adapting so quickly given the difficult circumstances. During the summer of 2020, we met as a Legal Skills team to discuss how to approach the regular school term. Specifically, we faced a larger-than-anticipated first-year class and contemplated how to remedy the sense of disconnection we expected would be felt by both students and us as teachers with online teaching and the ongoing pandemic. We asked ourselves, what if one of our colleagues become sick? How would we cover that professor\u27s classes? How can we create a sense of connection in a remote world? We also saw the challenges we faced as an opportunity to learn from one another and also mentor our new faculty members. To address these challenges and make the most of these opportunities, we decided to adopt what we came to call our Unified Program for Legal Skills. This paper describes our approach, experiences, and lessons

    Reduced Myelin Water in the White Matter Tracts of Patients with Niemann-Pick Disease Type C

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    SUMMARY: Previous studies using diffusion tensor imaging to examine white matter in Niemann-Pick disease type C have produced mixed results. However, diffusion tensor imaging does not directly measure myelin and may be affected by other structural changes. We used myelin water imaging to more directly examine demyelination in 2 patients with Niemann-Pick disease type C. The results suggest that this technique may be useful for identifying regional changes in myelination in this condition
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