A Duality Approach to Error Estimation for Variational Inequalities

Motivated by problems in contact mechanics, we propose a duality approach for computing approximations and associated a posteriori error bounds to solutions of variational inequalities of the first kind. The proposed approach improves upon existing methods introduced in the context of the reduced basis method in two ways. First, it provides sharp a posteriori error bounds which mimic the rate of convergence of the RB approximation. Second, it enables a full offline-online computational decomposition in which the online cost is completely independent of the dimension of the original (high-dimensional) problem. Numerical results comparing the performance of the proposed and existing approaches illustrate the superiority of the duality approach in cases where the dimension of the full problem is high.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figure

Role of Causal Information in Patient Education: An Experimental and Clinical Approach

Abstract It is somewhat paradoxical that few patient education interventions actually consider the processes by which individuals best learn health-related information. The paucity of empirically validated teaching strategies impedes efforts to improve the delivery of care in cardiovascular rehabilitation and secondary prevention (CRSP) programs. The main goal of this dissertation was to examine whether explaining how illness pathophysiology, symptoms and health behaviour are interconnected (i.e., causal information) enhances the effectiveness of patient education materials. This question was first addressed in a laboratory setting (Study 1) in which younger and older adults read about a fictitious disease under two conditions. Younger participants who read about how health behaviours were causally linked to illness pathophysiology and symptom reduction were better able to apply their knowledge than those who read this information in a non-integrated manner. However, this effect was not observed in the older sample. These findings were followed up in a cluster randomized controlled trial, in which causal information about connections among endothelial pathophysiology, cardiac risk factors, symptoms and health behaviours were integrated into a group education session at a Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention (CRSP) program. Results from Study 2 indicated that the addition of causal information was associated with deeper levels of knowledge about cardiovascular management and enhanced efficacy beliefs about the CRSP program. Study 3, which focused on participants’ behaviours, showed that the intervention did not impact patients’ likelihood to enroll into CRSP nor their physical activity levels four months into the program. The intervention group was marginally faster at completing prerequisites for program entry, but baseline characteristics, including anxiety and male gender, were stronger predictors of this behavior. The present dissertation is the first to provide empirical support for the inclusion of causal information into patient education curricula. Findings indicate that patients’ depth of understanding warrants more attention in patient education contexts. Taken together, results from this dissertation serve as a stepping-stone towards enhancing provider-patient collaboration by demonstrating that patients have a better understanding when they are told why they are being asked to follow the cardiovascular management recommendations rather than simply being told what to do

Impact of Goal Compatibility on Self-Care Adherence Among Patients with Congestive Heart Failure

Increasing adherence to self-care behaviours can optimize the health of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). This study examined whether considering the compatibility of self-care to valued life goals can improve the prediction of self-care adherence, above and beyond knowledge and self-efficacy. Forty CHF patients (22.5% female; mean age = 66.22) identified their goals though a card-sort and rated the compatibility of self-care regimens to these priorities. Aspects of CHF knowledge, self-efficacy and adherence to self-care were also assessed. Results indicated that participants valued CHF management, but its importance did not correlate with adherence. General and applied knowledge was associated with compliance to weighing and diet, respectively, while self-efficacy correlated with diet as well as exercise. Goal compatibility added significant variance to explain exercise adherence after controlling for other variables. These findings point to the merit of designing interventions to help patients leverage valued goals to address targeted health behaviours

Using Fink’s Integrated Course Design Model in Developing a Health It Course

This paper introduces how Fink’s Integrated Course Design model was used to refine a Health Information Technology (HIT) core course – Clinical Process and Workflow: Analysis and Redesign – for improving the design and enhancing student learning in this rapidly growing field. The paper describes the course design process centered on Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning – foundational knowledge, application, integration, human dimension, caring, and learning how to learn. Example case study assignment, term project and assessment rubric are provided. Student feedback shows that the course enhances student learning and prepares them to meet the needs of healthcare organizations and HIT development

Microstructural Study of the Interfacial Transition Zone in Concrete using Optical Microscopy

This paper presents an overview on the optical microstructural features in concrete. Microstructure is the small scale structure of a material, defined as the structure of a prepared surface of material as revealed by a microscope. The concrete specimens with the manipulation of water/cement ratio 0.3-0.7 (increment of 0.1) in the concrete mix design were used to study the optical microstructural features in concrete and to validate the existence of an interfacial transition zone (ITZ) in concrete. USB Digital Microscope is used to analyse the formation mechanism of microstructure in concrete where the optical microstructural images is analyse via respective curing periods of 1, 7, 28 and 56 days. The microstructure features are discussed with respect to their influence on the strength development of concrete

CD81/CD9 tetraspanins aid plasmacytoid dendritic cells in recognition of HCV-infected cells and induction of IFNα

Recognition of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected hepatocyes and interferon (IFN) induction are critical in antiviral immune response. We hypothesized that cell-cell contact between pDCs and HCV-infected cells was required for IFNα induction via involvement of cell surface molecules. Co-culture of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with genotype 1a full length HCV genomic replicon cells (FL) or genotype 2a JFH-1 virus infected hepatoma cells (JFH-1), not with uninfected hepatoma cells (Huh7.5), induced IFNα production. Depletion of pDCs from PBMCs attenuated IFNα release and purified pDCs produced high levels of IFNα after co-culture with FL replicons or JFH-1 infected cells. IFNα induction by HCV-containing hepatoma cells required viral replication, direct cell-cell contact with pDCs, and receptor-mediated endocytosis. We determined that the tetraspanin proteins, CD81 and CD9 and not other HCV entry receptors were required for IFNα induction in pDCs by HCV infected hepatoma cells. Disruption of cholesterol-rich membrane microdomains, the localization site of CD81 or inhibition of CD81 downstream molecule, Rac GTPase, inhibited IFNα production from co-cultures. IFNα production by HCV infected hepatoma cells was decreased in pDCs from HCV infected patients compared to normal controls. We found that pre-exposure of normal PBMCs to HCV viral particles attenuated IFNα induction by HCV infected hepatoma cells or TLR ligands and this inhibitory effect could be prevented by an anti-HCV E2 blocking antibody. In conclusion, our novel data show that recognition of HCV-infected hepatoma cells by pDCs involves CD81/CD9-associated membrane microdomains and induces potent IFNα production

LOST: An Open-Source Suite of Star Tracking Software

We present LOST: Open-source Star Tracker (LOST), a suite of star tracking software particularly suitable for small satellite missions with limited computing resources and low-cost cameras. LOST contains implementations of a number of previously-proposed star tracking algorithms and a flexible framework for running and evaluating these algorithms. Our evaluation finds that LOST\u27s algorithms are simultaneously able to maintain a strong combination of accuracy, runtime, and memory usage. In scenarios representative of a low-cost star tracker, LOST correctly identifies over 95% of images, and importantly, performs the entire star tracking pipeline in less than 35 milliseconds on a Raspberry Pi while using less than 1 MiB of memory, backed by a \u3c 350 KiB database. These results indicate that LOST could be ported to an embedded or radiation-hardened CPU and still perform well enough to meet the accuracy requirements of many missions

Impact of School Social Support and Bullying Victimization on Psychological Distress among California Adolescents

Background and Purpose: National reports showed that over 20% of high school students were victims of bullying, which could potentially lead to psychological problems. School social support may be protective against mental distress linked with victimization. This study examined the main and moderating effects of social support from adults in schools on non-specific serious psychological distress (SPD) related to victimization among California adolescents. Methods: Utilizing the 2011-2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), we analyzed a representative sample of 2,799 adolescents aged 12-17 years old. Logistic regression analyses were conducted modeling the odds of SPD in relation to school social support and victimization. Results: Adolescents who were victimized were twice as likely to have SPD compared to non-victims. Higher level of social support from adults in schools was protective against SPD, but did not buffer the effect of bullying exposure. Discussion: Findings from the present study suggested that adult support from schools can help with students’ psychological problems but does not appear to prevent the psychological consequences of victimization. Additional intervention is needed, above and beyond social support, to prevent victimization and its psychological consequences