University of Waterloo

About: University of Waterloo is a education organization based out in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 36093 authors who have published 93906 publications receiving 2948139 citations. The organization is also known as: UW & uwaterloo.

Comprehensive Clinical Assessment in Community Setting: Applicability of the MDS‐HC

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To describe the results of an international trial of the home care version of the MDS assessment and problem identification system (the MDS-HC), including reliability estimates, a comparison of MDS HC reliabilities with reliabilities of the same items in the MDS 2.0 nursing home assessment instrument, and an examination of the types of problems found in home care clients using the MDS-HC. DESIGN: Independent, dual assessment of clients of homecare agencies by trained clinicians using a draft of the MDS-HC, with additional descriptive data regarding problem profiles for home care clients. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Reliability data from dual assessments of 241 randomly selected clients of home care agencies in five countries, all of whom volunteered to test the MDS-HC. Also included are an expanded sample of 780 home care assessments from these countries and 187 dually assessed residents from 21 nursing homes in the United States. MEASUREMENTS: The array of MDS-HC assessment items included measures in the following areas: personal items, cognitive patterns, communication/hearing, vision, mood and behavior, social functioning, informal support services, physical functioning, continence, disease diagnoses, health conditions and preventive health measures, nutrition/ hydration, dental status, skin condition, environmental assessment, service utilization, and medications. RESULTS: Forty-seven percent of the functional, health status, social environment, and service items in the MDS-HC were taken from the MDS 2.0 for nursing homes. For this item set, it is estimated that the average weighted Kappa is .74 for the MDS-HC and .75 for the MDS 2.0. Similarly, high reliability values were found for items newly introduced in the MDS-HC (weighted Kappa = .70). Descriptive findings also characterize the problems of home care clients, with subanalyses within cognitive performance levels. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that the core set of items in the MDS 2.0 work equally well in community and nursing home settings. New items are highly reliable. In tandem, these instruments can be used within the international community, assisting and planning care for older adults within a broad spectrum of service settings, including nursing homes and home care programs. With this community-based, second generation problem and care plan-driven assessment instrument, disability assessment can be pet-formed consistently across the world.

Relay-Assisted Free-Space Optical Communication

Abstract: In this paper, we present relay-assisted transmission as a powerful fading mitigation tool for free-space optical systems operating in atmospheric turbulence channels. We study both serial (i.e., multi-hop transmission) and parallel (i.e., cooperative diversity) relaying encoupled with amplify-and-forward and decode-and-forward modes. We consider an aggregated channel model which takes into account both path-loss and turbulence-induced log-normal fading. Since fading variance is distance-dependent in free-space optical systems, relay-assisted transmission takes advantage of the resulting shorter hops and yields significant performance improvements. We derive outage probability of the relaying schemes under consideration which are further confirmed through Monte-Carlo simulations. Our outage probability analysis demonstrates that an impressive performance improvement of 18.5 dB is possible with the use of a single relay at a target outage probability of 10-6.

Correlation equation for hourly diffuse radiation on a horizontal surface

Abstract: This paper presents an analysis of hourly diffuse radiation on a horizontal surface and recommends an equation to determine the hourly ratio of diffuse-to-total radiation received in a horizontal surface. The results of the new correlation equation are compared with earlier equations with recommendations made as to its use with solar energy computer simulation programs.

Root Endodermis and Exodermis: Structure, Function, and Responses to the Environment

Abstract: Roots of virtually all vascular plants have an endodermis with a Casparian band, and the majority of angiosperm roots tested also have an exodermis with a Casparian band. Both the endodermis and exodermis may develop suberin lamellae and thick, tertiary walls. Each of these wall modifications has its own function(s). The endodermal Casparian band prevents the unimpeded movement of apoplastic substances into the stele and also prevents the backflow of ions that have moved into the stele symplastically and then were released into its apoplast. In roots with a mature exodermis, the barrier to apoplastic inflow of ions occurs near the root surface, but prevention of backflow of ions from the stele remains a function of the endodermis. The suberin lamellae protect against pathogen invasion and possibly root drying during times of stress. Tertiary walls of the endodermis and exodermis are believed to function in mechanical support of the root, but this idea remains to be tested. During stress, root growth rates decline, and the endodermis and exodermis develop closer to the root tip. In two cases, stress is known to induce the formation of an exodermis, and in several other cases to accelerate the development of both the exodermis and endodermis. The responses of the endodermis and exodermis to drought, exposure to moist air, flooding, salinity, ion deficiency, acidity, and mechanical impedance are discussed.

Axiomatic characterization of insurance prices

Abstract: In this paper, we take an axiomatic approach to characterize insurance prices in a competitive market setting. We present four axioms to describe the behavior of market insurance prices. From these axioms it follows that the price of an insurance risk has a Choquet integral representation with respect to a distorted probability (Yaari, 1987). We propose an additional axiom for reducing compound risks. This axiom determines that the distortion function is a power function.