1,762 research outputs found
Computable optimal value bounds for generalized convex programs
It has been shown by Fiacco that convexity or concavity of the optimal value of a parametric nonlinear programming problem can readily be exploited to calculate global parametric upper and lower bounds on the optimal value function. The approach is attractive because it involves manipulation of information normally required to characterize solution optimality. A procedure is briefly described for calculating and improving the bounds as well as its extensions to generalized convex and concave functions. Several areas of applications are also indicated
On the approximation of L\'evy driven Volterra processes and their integrals
Volterra processes appear in several applications ranging from turbulence to
energy finance where they are used in the modelling of e.g. temperatures and
wind and the related financial derivatives. Volterra processes are in general
non-semimartingales and a theory of integration with respect to such processes
is in fact not standard. In this work we suggest to construct an approximating
sequence of L\'evy driven Volterra processes, by perturbation of the kernel
function. In this way, one can obtain an approximating sequence of
semimartingales.
Then we consider fractional integration with respect to Volterra processes as
integrators and we study the corresponding approximations of the fractional
integrals. We illustrate the approach presenting the specific study of the
Gamma-Volterra processes. Examples and illustrations via simulation are given.Comment: 39 pages, 3 figure
Adolescent Perspectives on Media Use: A Qualitative Study
This qualitative study looks at adolescents’ engagement with media and explores their perceptions of how media plays a role in their lives. For the purpose of this study, media includes watching television shows, watching and reading the news, and involvement in various types of social media. The influence of parents and peers is also explored to examine adolescents’ views of whether parent and peer opinions affect the types of media with which the adolescent participants choose to engage. The study used a semi structured interview to collect data with participants from a Massachusetts public high school. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which broke the data into various clusters and themes
ACHIEVING UNIVERSAL LIAISONS AND HEALTHCARE CONTACT CENTER CENTRALIZATION THROUGH THE USE OF DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS
Healthcare contact centers often experience a large volume of calls and traditional standardized guidelines can be difficult to follow during an active call. While more common workflows can be memorized, they change often because Healthcare is a dynamic field. Constant updates to workflows, an abundance of different processes and provider preferences, and a fast paced environment can lead Customer Service Liaisons (CSLs) to handle patient inquiries incorrectly. Active decision support tools enable a CSL to follow an updated workflow without needing to navigate through complex guidelines and emails. This research shows that contact center centralization through the use of decision support tools can reduce Average Speed to Answer by 70 seconds even with an increase to Average Handle Time by 30 seconds. This research also identifies key features the tool may need to facilitate widespread adoption by clinicians and CSL alike
Writing Games
As in the United States and in many countries across Europe, the quiz
show was a founding genre for Italian television as far back as the 1950s:
because of their broad appeal, such game shows as Lascia o raddoppia and Il
musichiere contributed strongly to television's burgeoning popularity during
the subsequent decades. Since then, the quiz show has traversed different
eras of television history, with partial and gradual changes to its textual
features, aesthetics and narratives, as well as its production routines.
Since the 1980s, with deregulation and the advent of commercial television,
the Italian game-show market has become more international and more reliant
on formats. In the genre's long history, the "hidden profession" of writing
TV games exhibits elements of both continuity and change. The needs of
format-adaptation have highlighted two main areas of "localization":
question-writing and casting. This essay explores the profession of
game-show writer in Italy and how the role has evolved. It adopts a
historical framework to illuminate the continuity and change in the
profession, in relation to a broader history of both the genre and the
television medium, while also seeking to outline both the specificity of the
Italian TV context and its connections with an international
environment
Inroads to eastcheap: modern approaches to falstaff
Twentieth century criticism of Sir John Falstaff can be divided rather neatly into classes or schools of opinion. A. C. Bradley and the Romantics lead the charge into the new era by insisting that Maurice Morgann was right all along, and that Sir John is not a coward. The Romantics like Falstaff so well that they contend he is actually the hero of the drama. Shakespeare himself loses control as Sir John struts about the stage, and Shakespeare never convinces us tha tSir John is rejectable
Osmotic Edema Rapidly Increases Neuronal Excitability Through Activation of NMDA Receptor-Dependent Slow Inward Currents in Juvenile and Adult Hippocampus.
Cellular edema (cell swelling) is a principal component of numerous brain disorders including ischemia, cortical spreading depression, hyponatremia, and epilepsy. Cellular edema increases seizure-like activity in vitro and in vivo, largely through nonsynaptic mechanisms attributable to reduction of the extracellular space. However, the types of excitability changes occurring in individual neurons during the acute phase of cell volume increase remain unclear. Using whole-cell patch clamp techniques, we report that one of the first effects of osmotic edema on excitability of CA1 pyramidal cells is the generation of slow inward currents (SICs), which initiate after approximately 1 min. Frequency of SICs increased as osmolarity decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Imaging of real-time volume changes in astrocytes revealed that neuronal SICs occurred while astrocytes were still in the process of swelling. SICs evoked by cell swelling were mainly nonsynaptic in origin and NMDA receptor-dependent. To better understand the relationship between SICs and changes in neuronal excitability, recordings were performed in increasingly physiological conditions. In the absence of any added pharmacological reagents or imposed voltage clamp, osmotic edema induced excitatory postsynaptic potentials and burst firing over the same timecourse as SICs. Like SICs, action potentials were blocked by NMDAR antagonists. Effects were more pronounced in adult (8-20 weeks old) compared with juvenile (P15-P21) mice. Together, our results indicate that cell swelling triggered by reduced osmolarity rapidly increases neuronal excitability through activation of NMDA receptors. Our findings have important implications for understanding nonsynaptic mechanisms of epilepsy in relation to cell swelling and reduction of the extracellular space
Strategies to cope with stress and anxiety during the menopausal transition.
The menopausal transition is often accompanied by psycho-vegetative symptoms, including stress and anxiety symptoms. Identifying stress and anxiety and intervening early can have an enormous public health impact. Health care practitioners like obstetrician-gynecologists or family doctors play a critical role in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of stress and anxiety symptoms or disorders, as they often represent women's primary medical contact during the menopausal transition. However, they frequently do not feel confident in identifying and treating mental health problems. The aim of this review was to summarize current (since 2010) knowledge from randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses on diagnostics and treatment options, and to provide clinical decision-making algorithms. The recent literature suggests pharmacological, (cognitive) behavioral, and complementary treatments. The choice about which one to use should be discussed with the patient
Joint-Base Contracting: A Comparative Analysis of Joint-Base Contracting Activities Between Services
Sponsored Report (for Acquisition Research Program)The Department of Defense (DoD) recently created 12 joint bases by consolidating the support functions of geographically close bases under the lead of a single Service. The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission recommended the joint-basing initiative based on the expected savings of $183.8 million annually. The objectives of the BRAC process were to achieve cost savings, transformation, improvement of capabilities, and enhancement of military value.
Using a case study approach, this research identified the specific factors that contribute to the organizational successes of joint-base contracting at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) and Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). These factors include processes, governance structures, organizational structures, and communication. This research also identifies barriers to consolidation, as well as compares and contrasts the way JBSA and JBLM operate. Additionally, this research identifies strengths and weaknesses of the approaches the Air Force and the Army use. Thus, by documenting specific enablers and barriers, this research should help to guide the planning and implementation of future consolidations throughout the DoD and other government organizations.Acquisition Research ProgramApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited
In situ immunofluorescent staining of autophagy in muscle stem cells
Increasing evidence points to autophagy as a crucial regulatory process to preserve tissue homeostasis. It is known that autophagy is involved in skeletal muscle development and regeneration, and the autophagic process has been described in several muscular pathologies and agerelated muscle disorders. A recently described block of the autophagic process that correlates with the functional exhaustion of satellite cells during muscle repair supports the notion that active autophagy is coupled with productive muscle regeneration. These data uncover the crucial role of autophagy in satellite cell activation during muscle regeneration in both normal and pathological conditions, such as muscular dystrophies. Here, we provide a protocol to monitor the autophagic process in the adult Muscle Stem Cell (MuSC) compartment during muscle regenerative conditions. This protocol describes the setup methodology to perform in situ immunofluorescence imaging of LC3, an autophagy marker, and MyoD, a myogenic lineage marker, in muscle tissue sections from control and injured mice. The methodology reported allows for monitoring the autophagic process in one specific cell compartment, the MuSC compartment, which plays a central role in orchestrating muscle regeneration
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