Deep reinforcement learning has achieved impressive results in recent years; yet, it is still severely troubled by environments showcasing sparse rewards. On top of that, not all sparse-reward ...environments are created equal, i.e., they can differ in the presence or absence of various features, with many of them having a great impact on learning. In light of this, the present work puts together a literature compilation of such environmental features, covering particularly those that have been taken advantage of and those that continue to pose a challenge. We expect this effort to provide guidance to researchers for assessing the generality of their new proposals and to call their attention to issues that remain unresolved when dealing with sparse rewards.
ObjectivePrevious research suggests that some adolescents are using e-cigarette devices to vaporise (‘vaping’) cannabis in the form of hash oil, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) wax or oil, or dried ...cannabis buds or leaves. However, it is unclear how adolescents who vape cannabis use other tobacco products. This study examined the extent to which adolescents reported ever vaping cannabis and investigated how demographic variables and tobacco behaviours were associated with use.DesignWe used cross-sectional data from adolescents (total response rate 64.5%) who participated in the 2017 North Carolina Youth Tobacco Survey. SAS logistic regression survey procedures were used to account for the complex survey design and sampling weights.SettingNorth Carolina, USA.ParticipantsAdolescents in high school (n=2835).Primary outcome and measureAdolescents were asked to indicate whether they had ever used an e-cigarette device with marijuana, THC or hash oil, or THC wax.ResultsApproximately 1 in 10 high school students reported ever vaping cannabis in the overall sample (9.6%). In multivariable models, adolescents who reported using cigars (adjusted OR (aOR) 3.76, 95% CI 2.33 to 6.07), waterpipe (aOR 2.32, 95% CI 1.37 to 3.93) or e-cigarettes (aOR 3.18, 95% CI 2.38 to 4.25) in the past 30 days had higher odds of reporting ever vaping cannabis compared with their counterparts. There was no significant association between use of smokeless tobacco (aOR 0.89, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.91) or use of cigarettes (aOR 1.27, 95% CI 0.71 to 2.29) in the past 30 days and odds of reporting ever vaping cannabis.ConclusionsThese findings provide evidence that large numbers of high school students who use tobacco products have vaped cannabis. As tobacco control policies—such as communication campaigns or smoke-free laws—increasingly focus on e-cigarettes, attention to understanding how adolescents use e-cigarettes to vape substances other than nicotine is essential.
Purpose. Low availability and affordability of healthier foods in food stores on the Navajo Nation (NN) may be a community-level risk factor for the high prevalence of obesity among the Navajo ...people. This study assessed the availability and pricing of foods and beverages in supermarkets and convenience stores throughout the NN. Design. Descriptive study design using the Nutrition Environment Measurement Survey in Stores audit tool. Setting. Supermarkets (n = 13) and convenience stores (n = 50) on NN and border-town supermarkets (n = 9). Subjects. Not applicable. Measures. Availability and pricing of healthy and less-healthy foods. Analysis. Descriptive and χ2 analyses. Results. Navajo convenience stores offered fewer healthier food options compared to Navajo supermarkets. In Navajo convenience stores, 100% whole grain products, reduced-fat cheese, lean meats, reduced-fat chips, and fat-free or light hot dogs were available in fewer stores than their corresponding less-healthy versions (all with p < .05). In both Navajo supermarkets and convenience stores, 100% whole wheat bread, lean cold cuts, and reduced-fat cheese were all more expensive per unit than their corresponding less-healthy versions (all with p < .05). Conclusions. According to this study, healthier foods are not as readily available in Navajo convenience stores as they are in Navajo supermarkets. Improving access to and affordability of healthier foods in reservation stores of all sizes may support healthy eating among Navajo residents.
The mammalian heart regenerates poorly and damage commonly leads to heart failure. The Hippo pathway is an evolutionarily conserved kinase cascade that regulates heart size during development and ...prevents adult mammalian cardiomyocyte regeneration by inhibiting the transcription cofactor Yap. Recent work indicates that deletion of the Hippo pathway component, Salv, in cardiomyocytes can reverse ischemic heart failure in a mouse model. Further experiments have uncovered Yap target genes and provided insight into the mechanisms by which Yap regulated cardiomyocyte gene expression.
I will discuss our latest findings that reveal new insights into heart size control and regeneration.
This article examines several vexing problems faced by faculty within leadership programs including university finances, balancing teaching, service, and research responsibilities, burnout, poor ...communication, and structural barriers to creating diversity among faculty. Using insights from practitioners and my experiences, I also share strategies that may help the leaders of higher education leadership programs address these challenges.
Identification of HER2 protein overexpression and/or amplification of the HER2 gene are required to qualify breast cancer patients for HER2 targeted therapies. In situ hybridization (ISH) assays that ...identify HER2 gene amplification function as a stand-alone test for determination of HER2 status and rely on the manual quantification of the number of HER2 genes and copies of chromosome 17 to determine HER2 amplification.
To assist pathologists, we have developed the uPath HER2 Dual ISH Image Analysis for Breast (uPath HER2 DISH IA) algorithm, as an adjunctive aid in the determination of HER2 gene status in breast cancer specimens. The objective of this study was to compare uPath HER2 DISH image analysis vs manual read scoring of VENTANA HER2 DISH-stained breast carcinoma specimens with ground truth (GT) gene status as the reference. Three reader pathologists reviewed 220, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) breast cancer cases by both manual and uPath HER2 DISH IA methods. Scoring results from manual read (MR) and computer-assisted scores (image analysis, IA) were compared against the GT gene status generated by consensus of a panel of pathologists. The differences in agreement rates of HER2 gene status between manual, computer-assisted, and GT gene status were determined.
The positive percent agreement (PPA) and negative percent agreement (NPA) rates for image analysis (IA) vs GT were 97.2% (95% confidence interval CI: 95.0, 99.3) and 94.3% (95% CI: 90.8, 97.3) respectively. Comparison of agreement rates showed that the lower bounds of the 95% CIs for the difference of PPA and NPA for IA vs MR were –0.9% and –6.2%, respectively. Further, inter- and intra-reader agreement rates in the IA method were observed with point estimates of at least 96.7%.
Overall, our data show that the uPath HER2 DISH IA is non-inferior to manual scoring and supports its use as an aid for pathologists in routine diagnosis of breast cancer.
•Image analysis algorithm for HER2 amplification using Bright-field ISH in Breast.•Automated tumor cell selection and quantitation within pathologist defined ROI.•The image analysis algorithm is non-inferior to manual scoring.•Integrated solution to support pathologists in determining HER2 gene status.
Purpose
This paper aims to propose the need to be bolder about recognizing when an employee needs to be let go.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based upon a review of literature and ...extensive fieldwork.
Findings
Three situations are presented for when releasing an employee may be the appropriate tactic, along with five general principles for shifting the organization–employee relationship from unhealthy enmeshment to a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a practical view of the organization–employee relationship that strives to enhance organizational performance while honoring the humanity of the employee.
Teaching/learning Martin, Jim
Linguistics and the human sciences (Online),
01/2014, Letnik:
10, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
In regard to the issues people have been discussing, Jim Martin continues in this article his advocacy for an equal balance between teaching and learning rather than the focus on either side only: ...the traditional teacher centre and the recent students’ centre; in fact, recent years’ explorations in this area have to a large extent ignored the role of teaching in students’ language learning and development. He takes into consideration of language development from home through school by means of linguistic genres and shared experience, points out the concern about genre teaching, and submits the balance issue to us language teachers.
The stocks and dynamics of coarse woody debris (CWD) are significant components of the carbon cycle within tropical forests. However, to date, there have been no reports of CWD stocks and fluxes from ...the approximately 1.3 million km² of lowland western Amazonian forests. Here, we present estimates of CWD stocks and annual CWD inputs from forests in southern Peru. Total stocks were low compared to other tropical forest sites, whether estimated by line-intercept sampling (24.4 ± 5.3 Mg ha-¹) or by complete inventories within 11 permanent plots (17.7 ± 2.4 Mg ha-¹). However, annual inputs, estimated from long-term data on tree mortality rates in the same plots, were similar to other studies (3.8 ± 0.2 or 2.9 ± 0.2 Mg ha-¹ year-¹, depending on the equation used to estimate biomass). Assuming the CWD pool is at steady state, the turnover time of coarse woody debris is low (4.7 ± 2.6 or 6.1 ± 2.6 years). These results indicate that these sites have not experienced a recent, large-scale disturbance event and emphasise the distinctive, rapid nature of carbon cycling in these western Amazonian forests.
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