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A Level Set Method for the Simulation of Moving Contact Lines in Three Dimensions
No full textWe propose an efficient numerical method for the simulation of the two-phase flows with moving contact lines in three dimensions. The mathematical model consists of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for the two immiscible fluids with the standard interface conditions, the Navier slip condition along the solid wall, and a contact angle condition (Ren et al. (2010) [28]). In the numerical method, the governing equations for the fluid dynamics are coupled with an advection equation for a level-set function. The latter models the dynamics of the fluid interface. Following the standard practice, the interface conditions are taken into account by introducing a singular force on the interface in the momentum equation. This results in a single set of governing equations in the whole fluid domain. Similarly, the contact angle condition is imposed by introducing a singular force, which acts in the normal direction of the contact line, into the Navier slip condition. The new boundary condition, which unifies the Navier slip condition and the contact angle condition, is imposed along the solid wall. The model is solved using the finite difference method. Numerical results are presented for the spreading of a droplet on both homogeneous and inhomogeneous solid walls, as well as the dynamics of a droplet on an inclined plate under gravity
Implementation of an Evidence-Based Onboarding Program to Optimize Efficiency and Care Delivery in an Intensive Care Unit.
No full textNationally, nurse turnover is 18.7%, and 24.1% of nurses leave their organization within a year of hire. Onboarding is a key component of a nurse's intent to stay and job satisfaction. This article describes the implementation and results of an onboarding program in a large intensive care unit
Analysis of main risk factors causing stroke in Shanxi Province based on machine learning models
No full textBackground: In China, stroke has been the first leading cause of death in recent years. It is a major cause of long-term physical and cognitive impairment, which bring great pressure on the National Public Health System. On the other hand, China is a big country, evaluation of the risk of getting stroke is important for the prevention and treatment of stroke in China. Methods: A data set with 2000 hospitalized stroke patients in 2018 and 27583 residents during the year 2017 to 2020 is analyzed in this study. With the cleaned data, three models on stroke risk levels are built by using machine learning methods. The importance of “8+2” factors from China National Stroke Prevention Project (CSPP) is evaluated via decision tree and random forest models. The importance of more detailed features and their SHAP values are evaluated and ranked via random forest model. Furthermore, a logistic regression model is applied to evaluate the probability of getting stroke for different risk levels. Results: Among all “8+2” risk factors of getting stroke, the decision tree model reveals that top three factors are Hypertension (0.4995), Physical Inactivity (0.08486) and Diabetes Mellitus (0.07889), and the random forest model shows that top three factors are Hypertension (0.3966), Hyperlipidemia (0.1229) and Physical Inactivity (0.1146). In addition to “8+2” factors the importance of features for lifestyle information, demographic information and medical measurement are evaluated via random forest model. It shows that top five features are Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) (0.3670), Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) (0.1541), Physical Inactivity (0.0904), Body Mass Index (BMI) (0.0721) and Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG)(0.0531). SHAP values show that DBP, Physical Inactivity, SBP, BMI, Smoking, FBG, and Triglyceride(TG) are positively correlated to the risk of getting stroke. High-density Lipoprotein (HDL) is negatively correlated to the risk of getting stroke. Combining with the data of 2000 hospitalized stroke patients, the logistic regression model shows that the average probabilities of getting stroke are 7.20%±0.55% for the low-risk level patients, 19.02%±0.94% for the medium-risk level patients and 83.89%±0.97% for the high-risk level patients. Conclusion: Based on the census data from Shanxi Province, we investigate stroke risk factors and their ranking. It shows that Hypertension, Physical Inactivity, and Overweight are ranked as the top three high stroke risk factors in Shanxi. The probability of getting a stroke is also estimated through our interpretable machine learning methods
The Probate Regime: Enchanted Bureaucracy, Islamic Law, and the Capital of Orphans in Nineteenth-Century Egypt
No full textAbstract
In this article, we explore the “probate regime,” an administrative field of government activity of legally transferring, taxing, and administering bequests. As an example, we study the changes of the Egyptian probate regime in a longue durée perspective, with a focus on the nineteenth century when Egypt was a sub-Ottoman “khedivate.” We argue that the rationalization and expansion of the previously Ottoman administration of bequests, unlike Western bureaucracies, retained religious norms in the 1850s-1860s. In the context of Egyptian legal transformation, the change in the probate regime represents a case when Islamic norms became contested between administrative bodies of the government and the Muslim judge (qadi). Drawing on novel archival research in Egypt and elsewhere, we first consider the institutions of the Ottoman probate regime (probate judge, fees, and a probate bureau). Next, we zoom in on the way the khedivial probate bureau became a large, de-Ottomanized, Muslim administration of death by the 1870s in a partnership between khedives and local jurists. The khedives also considered the orphans’ wealth under the care of the bureau a source of government capitalism. Despite the abolishment of the probate bureau in 1896, the khedivial transformation ensured that Muslim principles remained normative during the British occupation which ushered in a new division of law into “religious” and “civil” legal domains.</jats:p
Quantum interference and complex photon statistics in waveguide QED
No full textWe obtain photon statistics by using a quantum jump approach tailored to a system in which one or two qubits are coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide. Photons confined in the waveguide have strong interference effects, which are shown to play a vital role in quantum jumps and photon statistics. For a single qubit, for instance, the bunching of transmitted photons is heralded by a jump that increases the qubit population. We show that the distribution and correlations of waiting times offer a clearer and more precise characterization of photon bunching and antibunching. Further, the waiting times can be used to characterize complex correlations of photons which are hidden in g(2)(τ), such as a mixture of bunching and antibunching
Pseudo-differential Operators, Online PCA Flows and the Linear Response Theory
No full textThree problems will be considered in this dissertation.First, the well-posedness and numerical simulation of PDEs involving pseudo-differential operators are considered. One example is the water wave equation. Lack of rigorous analysis of its time discretization inhibits the design of more efficient algorithms. First, a model simplified from the water wave equation of infinite depth is considered. This model preserves two main properties of the water wave equation: non-locality and hyperbolicity. Systematic stability studies of the fully discrete approximation of such systems is also complemented. As a result, an optimal time discretization strategy is provided in the form of a modified CFL condition, i.e. . Meanwhile, the energy stable property is established for certain explicit Runge-Kutta methods. Another example is the vectorial Peierls-Nabarro model. First, a non-local scalar Ginzburg-Landau equation with an anisotropic positive singular kernel is derived from the original model. We first prove that minimizers of the PN energy for this reduced scalar problem exist. We also prove that these minimizers are smooth 1D profiles. Then a De Giorgi-type conjecture of single-variable symmetry for both minimizers and layer solutions is established. The proof of this De Giorgi-type conjecture relies on a delicate spectral analysis which is especially powerful for nonlocal pseudo-differential operators with strong maximal principle. The second problem is the Online principal component analysis (PCA). It has been an efficient tool in practice to reduce dimension. However, convergence properties of the corresponding ODE (the deterministic flow) are still not fully unknown. A new technique is developed to determine stable manifolds of the ODE. This technique analyzes the rank of the initial datum. Using this technique, we derived the explicit expression of the stable manifolds. As a consequence, exponential convergence to stable equilibrium points was proved. The success of this new technique should be attributed to the semi-decoupling property of the SGA method: iteration of previous components does not depend on that of later ones. The convergence property of the discrete algorithm is also considered. The algorithm is viewed as a stochastic process on the parameter space and semi-group. First, the discrete algorithm can be viewed as a semigroup: S^k\varphi=\E[\varphi(\mb W(k))]. Second, stochastic differential equations (SDEs) are constructed on the Stiefel manifold, i.e. the diffusion approximation, to approximate the semigroup. By weak convergence, the algorithm is 'close to' the SDEs. Finally, reversibility of the SDEs to prove long time convergence. The third problem is the rigorous verification of the linear response theory (LRT). This theory considers the response of a system at equilibrium to external perturbations. It assumes that eh response is a linear functional of the perturbation. In particular, Langevin dynamics is considered. Equivalent conditions of reversibility of Langevin dynamics are proposed. Then, utilizing the ergodicity of Fokker-Planck equations, the response functional is rigorously verified for both over-damped and under-damped Langevin dynamics. As a corollary, the Green-Kubo relation is also verified. </p
Trends in Dialysis Industry Consolidation After Medicare Payment Reform, 2006-2016.
No full textImportanceThe dialysis industry is highly concentrated, with large dialysis organizations now providing dialysis for more than 85% of patients with kidney failure in the United States. In 2011, Medicare introduced a new Prospective Payment System (PPS) for end-stage kidney disease, which bundled payment for dialysis care into 1 payment per patient. Trends in dialysis facility consolidation after the PPS went into effect are unknown.ObjectiveTo determine whether the introduction of the PPS in 2011 was associated with an acceleration in acquisitions and closures of small dialysis chains (Design setting and participantsThis retrospective cohort study included all Medicare-certified independent or small chain-affiliated dialysis facilities in the continental US between 2006 and 2016. Data were obtained from Medicare and the US Renal Data System and were analyzed in 2020.ExposuresThe PPS.Main outcomes and measuresDiscrete time hazard models were used to estimate the odds of acquisition and closure before the PPS (2006-2010) vs after the PPS (2011-2016). Analyses controlled for facility, market, and regional demographic characteristics. The average predicted marginal probabilities of acquisition and closure over time were estimated.ResultsThe proportion of small chain-affiliated and independently owned facilities declined from 29% (1383 of 4750 facilities) in 2006 to 15% (1038 of 6738) in 2016. Among 13 481 facility-years, 6352 (47%) were for profit, and mean (SD) census was 68 (59) patients. Overall, 3286 (24%) facilities opened during the observation period. The proportion of acquisitions that occurred each year varied from 1.1% (12 of 1065 facilities in 2015) to 7.2% (86 of 1192 facilities in 2012), while closures varied from 0.8% (9 of 1065 facilities in 2015) to 2.2% (28 of 1286 facilities in 2010), making both fairly rare. There was a 3.48 higher odds of acquisition in the post-PPS period compared with the pre-PPS period (95% CI, 1.62-7.47; P = .001). The odds of closure before and after the PPS were not statistically significantly different (odds ratio, 2.03; 95% CI, 0.61-6.73; P = .25). Facilities that opened during the observation period had a 7.2% higher predicted probability of acquisition compared with older facilities (95% CI, 5.4%-9.0%; P Conclusions and relevanceIn this cohort study of continental US Medicare-certified dialysis facilities, small-chain and independently owned facilities retained a declining share of the dialysis market. Further research should evaluate the effect of continued dialysis market consolidation on patient access, health care utilization, and clinical outcomes
NK cell education: Physiological and pathological influences.
No full textNatural killer (NK) cells represent a critical defense against viral infections and cancers. NK cells require integration of activating and inhibitory NK cell receptors to detect target cells and the balance of these NK cell inputs defines the global NK cell response. The sensitivity of the response is largely defined by interactions between self-major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules and specific inhibitory NK cell receptors, so-called NK cell education. Thus, NK cell education is a crucial process to generate tuned effector NK cell responses in different diseases. In this review, we discuss the relationship between NK cell education and physiologic factors (type of self-MHC-I, self-MHC-I allelic variants, variant of the self-MHC-I-binding peptides, cytokine effects and inhibitory KIR expression) underlying NK cell education profiles (effector function or metabolism). Additionally, we describe the broad-spectrum of effector educated NK cell functions on different pathologies (such as HIV-1, CMV and tumors, among others)
Establishment of an Individualized Distal Junctional Kyphosis Risk Index following the Surgical Treatment of Adult Cervical Deformities.
No full textStudy designA retrospective review of a multicenter comprehensive cervical deformity (CD) database.ObjectiveTo develop a novel risk index specific to each patient to aid in patient counseling and surgical planning to minimize postop distal junctional kyphosis (DJK) occurrence.BackgroundDJK is a radiographic finding identified after patients undergo instrumented spinal fusions which can result in sagittal spinal deformity, pain and disability, and potentially neurological compromise. DJK is considered multifactorial in nature and there is a lack of consensus on the true etiology of DJK.Materials and methodsCD patients with baseline (BL) and at least one-year postoperative radiographic follow-up were included. A patient-specific DJK score was created through use of unstandardized Beta weights of a multivariate regression model predicting DJK (end of fusion construct to the second distal vertebra change in this angle by ResultsA total of 110 CD patients included (61 yr, 66.4% females, 28.8 kg/m 2 ). In all, 31.8% of these patients developed DJK (16.1% three males, 11.4% six males, 62.9% one-year). At BL, DJK patients were more frail and underwent combined approach more (both P ConclusionsThis study proposes a novel risk index of DJK development that focuses on potentially modifiable surgical factors as well as established patient-related and radiographic determinants. The reference model created demonstrated strong correlations with relevant two-year outcome measures, including axial pain-related symptoms, occurrence of related reoperations, and the achievement of minimal clinically importance differences for 5-dimension EuroQol questionnaire
Mission, Jews, and Gentiles in the Gospel of Matthew
No full textThe question of Matthew’s missiology in modern scholarship frequently centers the relationship between contradictory commissions in 10:5-6 and 28:19-20. Does Matthew believe that the mission to Israel is the primary focus of the nascent church, or that the gentile mission has replaced it? Or does Matthew believe that the mission that began in Israel has now expanded to include all nations? The goal of this dissertation is to complicate this question by expanding our object of study to other passages in the Gospel that discuss missions. We begin with Matt 10. In Matt 10, missionary work is an ethnically and geographically limited project. Missionaries are sent as envoys of Jesus. They depend on their targets for hospitality. They focus on Jews, though gentiles are present as onlookers. The missionary project forces confrontation with Jewish leadership, particularly Pharisees. Neither Jews nor gentiles are singled out as persecutors. The mission is associated with imminent eschatology, and it is underway when Matthew writes. We compare this missiology with five passages that precede the final commission: the parable of the tenants (21:33-46), the wedding banquet (22:1-14), the woes against scribes and Pharisees (chapter 23), the tribulation (chapter 24), and the parable of the sheep and the goats (25:31-46). What becomes clear is that Matthew’s missiology is unified. He entertains a mission that is no longer restricted, but other tropes from Matt 10 reappear. This continuity reemerges again in the final call to international mission (28:16-20). Matthew’s missiology is not discontinuous, but stable. He introduces a missionary task in 10:5-42, places it in Israel, and expects that this work will continue in the rest of the world. Outreach to Jews and gentiles bleeds into each other from the beginning, given Matthew’s awareness of gentiles in Palestine and of Jews in the Diaspora. The question of whether Matthew intends his message to go to Jews, or gentiles, or both, therefore, is significantly more complicated than it first appears. </p