University of Alberta

About: University of Alberta is a education organization based out in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 65403 authors who have published 154847 publications receiving 5358338 citations. The organization is also known as: Ualberta & UAlberta.

A new method for stabilization of networked control systems with random delays

Abstract: We consider the stabilization problem for a class of networked control systems in the discrete-time domain with random delays. The sensor-to-controller and controller-to-actuator delays are modeled as two Markov chains, and the resulting closed-loop systems are jump linear systems with two modes. The necessary and sufficient conditions on the existence of stabilizing controllers are established. It is shown that state-feedback gains are mode-dependent. An iterative linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach is employed to calculate the state-feedback gains.

Stewardship vs. Stagnation: An Empirical Comparison of Small Family and Non‐Family Businesses*

Abstract: Two major perspectives can be construed in the literature concerning the nature of family owned businesses (FOBs). The first implies that these enterprises have unique charac- teristics of stewardship. FOB owners are said to care deeply about the long-term prospects of the business, in large part because their family's fortune, reputation and future are at stake. Their stewardship is said to be manifested by unusual devotion to the continuity of the company, by more assiduous nurturing of a community of employees, and by seeking out closer connections with customers to sustain the business. The second perspective is less flattering. It proposes that FOBs are unusually subject to stagnation: they are said to face unique resource restrictions, embrace conservative strategies, eschew growth, and be doomed to short lives. This paper develops and examines the merits of the two perspectives, neither of which has been systematically articulated or researched. It does so in an empirical study of only small firms that are owned and managed by their founder. Within this sample, it compares firms that are FOBs, that is, family owned and managed, with non-FOBs, that is, owned and managed by a founder with no other relative involved in the business. The findings show significant support for all three aspects of the stew- ardship perspective of FOBs, and no support for any elements of the stagnation perspective.

Solute Diffusion within Hydrogels. Mechanisms and Models

Abstract: Solute diffusion in hydrogels is important in many biotechnology fields. Solute behavior in hydrogels has been explained in terms of reduction in hydrogel free volume, enhanced hydrodynamic drag on the solute, increased path length due to obstruction, and a combination of hydrodynamic drag and obstruction effects. In this article the various mathematical models derived to explain and predict solute diffusion in hydrogels are reviewed and tested against literature data. These models can be divided into those applicable to hydrogels composed of flexible polymer chains (i.e., homogeneous hydrogels) and those composed of rigid polymer chains (i.e., heterogeneous hydrogels). For homogeneous hydrogels it was determined that a scaling hydrodynamic model provided the best explanation for solute diffusion, while for heterogeneous hydrogels obstruction models were more consistent with the experimental data. Both the scaling hydrodynamic model and the most appropriate obstruction model contain undefined parameters w...

Engaging in Narrative Inquiry

Abstract: Narrative inquiry examines human lives through the lens of a narrative, honouring lived experience as a source of important knowledge and understanding. In this concise volume, D. Jean Clandinin, one of the pioneers in using narrative as research, updates her classic formulation on narrative inquiry (with F. Michael Connelly), clarifying, extending and refining the method based on an additional decade of work. A valuable feature is the inclusion of several exemplary cases with the author's critique and analysis of the work. The rise of interest in narrative inquiry in recent years makes this is an essential guide for researchers and an excellent text for graduate courses in qualitative inquiry.

Convergence of Genes and Cellular Pathways Dysregulated in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract: Rare copy-number variation (CNV) is an important source of risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). We analyzed 2,446 ASD-affected families and confirmed an excess of genic deletions and duplications in affected versus control groups (1.41-fold, p = 1.0 × 10(-5)) and an increase in affected subjects carrying exonic pathogenic CNVs overlapping known loci associated with dominant or X-linked ASD and intellectual disability (odds ratio = 12.62, p = 2.7 × 10(-15), ∼3% of ASD subjects). Pathogenic CNVs, often showing variable expressivity, included rare de novo and inherited events at 36 loci, implicating ASD-associated genes (CHD2, HDAC4, and GDI1) previously linked to other neurodevelopmental disorders, as well as other genes such as SETD5, MIR137, and HDAC9. Consistent with hypothesized gender-specific modulators, females with ASD were more likely to have highly penetrant CNVs (p = 0.017) and were also overrepresented among subjects with fragile X syndrome protein targets (p = 0.02). Genes affected by de novo CNVs and/or loss-of-function single-nucleotide variants converged on networks related to neuronal signaling and development, synapse function, and chromatin regulation.