Digital Commons Network^™

Fifty Years Of Community Service: A Tribute To Mel Shimm, Barak D. Richman

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

A Methodology For Efficiently Sampling The Conformation Space Of Molecular Structures, Audrey Lee, Ileana Streinu, Oliver Brock

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

Motivated by recently developed computational techniques for studying protein flexibility, and their potential applications in docking, we propose an efficient method for sampling the conformational space of complex molecular structures. We focus on the loop closure problem, identified in the work of Thorpe and Lei (2004 Phil. Mag. 84 1323-31) as a primary bottleneck in the fast simulation of molecular motions. By modeling a molecular structure as a branching robot, we use an intuitive method in which the robot holds onto itself for maintaining loop constraints. New conformations are generated by applying random external forces, while internal, attractive forces pull …

The History Of Women's Lives In The Archives Of Languedoc, Elizabeth Haluska-Rausch

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Expanding The Archive: An Art Historical Perspective, Jennifer Borland

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Back Matter, Medieval Feminist Forum, No.40 2005

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Fixation Of Bilateral Pelvic Osteotomies With External Fixator In Exstrophy Bladder Complex, Salman Riaz, Shahbaz Sarwar, Masood Umer

Department of Surgery Docs

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To present the early results of pelvic osteotomies performed for repair of exstrophy bladder.

METHODS:

Five cases of exstrophy bladder were treated with closure following bilateral iliac osteotomies. Three patients underwent closure of pubic symphysis diastasis by use of external fixator, one by screws and cerclage wires, and one by use of K-wires and suture. The patients were followed up by the pediatric urologist and orthopedic surgeon.

RESULTS:

All patients achieved a closure of diastasis and a tension free repair after the index surgery. The average follow-up was 3.6 years with range of 4 months to 6 years. …

The Stress Management Self-Efficacy Inventory (Smsei): Development And Initial Psychometrics, Kristin Higgins

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of the current study was to develop, pilot, and establish the initial psychometrics of the Stress Management Self-Efficacy Inventory (SMSEI). Once developed and positive psychometrics established, middle school counselors and other mental health professionals can use the SMSEI to identify children who lack self-efficacy in the area of stress management. Once adolescents are identified as having low stress management self-efficacy, this measure can also aid professionals in creating programs and interventions. The SMSEI measures how well adolescents believe they can manage their stress as well as measures specific areas or management techniques that a child believes they …

Improving The Quality Of Conceptual Modeling Using Cognitive Mapping Techniques, Keng Siau, X. Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Conceptual modeling involves the understanding and communication between system analysts and end-users. Many factors may affect the quality of conceptual modeling processes as well as the models per se. Human cognition plays a pivotal role in understanding these factors and cognitive mapping techniques are effective tools to elicit and represent human cognition. In this paper, we look at the use of cognitive mapping techniques to improve the quality of conceptual modeling. We review frameworks on quality in conceptual modeling and examine the role of human cognition in conceptual modeling. The paper also discusses how human cognition is related to quality …

Tailored Watermarking Schemes For Authentication Of Electronic Clinical Atlases, Feng Bao, Robert H. Deng, Beng-Chin Ooi, Yanjiang Yang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

It is accepted that digital watermarking is quite relevant in medical imaging. However, due to the special nature of clinical practice, it is often required that watermarking not introduce irreversible distortions to medical images. The electronic clinical atlas has such a need of "lossless" watermarking. We present two tailored reversible watermarking schemes for the clinical atlas by exploiting its inherent characteristics. We have implemented the schemes and our experimental results look very promising.

A Framework To Learn Bayesian Network From Changing, Multiple-Source Biomedical Data, Li G., Tze-Yun Leong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Structure learning in Bayesian network is a big issue. Many efforts have tried to solve this problem and quite a few algorithms have been proposed. However, when we attempt to apply the existing methods to microarray data, there are three main challenges: 1) there are many variables in the data set, 2) the sample size is small, and 3) microarray data are changing from experiment to experiment and new data are available quickly. To address these three problems, we assume that the major functions of a kind of cells do not change too much in different experiments, and propose a …

Integration Of Probabilistic Graphic Models For Decision Support, Jiang C., Poh K., Tze-Yun Leong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

It is a frequently encountered problem that new knowledge arrived when making decisions in a dynamic world. Usually, domain experts cannot afford enough time and knowledge to effectively assess and combine both qualitative and quantitative information in these models. Existing approaches can solve only one of two tasks instead of both. We propose a four-step algorithm to integrate multiple probabilistic graphic models, which can effectively update existing models with newly acquired models. In this algorithm, the qualitative part of model integration is performed first, followed by the quantitative combination. We illustrate our method with an example of combining three models. …

Introduction To Media And Communication Studies At The University Of Halle-Wittenberg, Reinhold Viehoff

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Towards A Theory Of Emotional Communication, Anne Bartsch, Susanne Hübner

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In their paper, "Towards a Theory of Emotional Communication," Anne Bartsch and Susanne Hübner outline a model of emotional communication where emotional communication is conceptualized as a process of mutual influence between the emotions of communication partners. To elaborate this general notion further, four working definitions of emotional communication are introduced, each of which is based on a different theory of emotions. In the second part of the paper, an integrative framework is proposed that reconciles the four working definitions and their underlying theories of emotion. According to this framework, emotional communication comprises three interrelated levels of complexity: 1) innate …

Television And Politics In The Former East Germany, Claudia Dittmar

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her paper, "Television and Politics in the Former East Germany," Claudia Dittmar analyzes how in the former East Germany (GDR) while television audience was restricted severly by government, at the same time West German broadcasts acquired a substantial audience and what the impact of these broadcasts had on the audience. West German television programs enjoyed a high level of popularity with the East German population, thereby posing the greatest competition to the GDR's own television stations. As a result, GDR television was forced to counteract the impact of West German television. Dittmar discusses how the West German media were …

Aesthetics And Audiovisual Metaphors In Media Perception, Kathrin Fahlenbrach

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In her paper, "Aesthetics and Audiovisual Metaphors in Media Perception," Kathrin Fahlenbrach presents a model of audiovisual analysis where focus is on audiovisual aesthetics perceived physically and affectively. Fahlenbrach starts out from the assumption that image and sound are inseparable in audiovisual media and must be treated as a unit, a "synchresis" (Chion). Fahlenbrach proposes that only this premise is able to cover the pre-consciously perceived elements sufficiently, namely the sensorial and affective structures of audiovisual aesthetics. Fahlenbrach articulates some aspects for an audiovisual aesthetics that concentrate on the interfaces between audiovisual perception and audiovisual design and employs to this …

The Canonization Of German-Language Digital Literature, Florian Hartling

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his paper, "The Canonization of German-language Digital Literature," Florian Hartling discusses "Net Literature," a relatively young phenomenon, that has its roots in experimental visual and concrete poetry and hypertext. With the use of new media technology, this new genre of literature has acquired much interest and is now considered to be one of the most important influences in contemporary art. Not only does Net Literature connect sound, video, and animation with interactivity and allows new forms of artistic expression, it also impacts significantly on the traditional functions of the literary system. Hartling suggests that, in relation to Net Literature, …

An Analysis Of Websites Of Bi-National Heterosexual Couples, Sadashivam Rao

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his paper "An Analysis of Websites of Bi-national Heterosexual Couples," Sadashivam Rao discusses the design of world wide web homepages of bi-national couples. Rao shows how such websites become locations of the re-invention of notions of culture, generating a particular practice of representation, namely that of "hyphenating." Rao contends that the subjects of personal homepages enter the domain of the internet as entities already embedded in many other domains of discourse such as those of nationalism, culture, and media. Further, Rao proposes that this specific genre of websites reflects traces of these discourses. Of course, in the process of …

Imre Kertész's Nobel Prize, Public Discourse, And The Media, Steven Tötösy De Zepetnek

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

Steven Tötösy de Zepetnek, in his paper, "Imre Kertész's Nobel Prize, Public Discourse, and the Media," discusses aspects of media coverage in German-, Hungarian-, and English-language newspapers and magazines of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded to Imre Kertész. The perspective of Tötösy's analysis is to gauge the importance and impact of media coverage comparatively in the three cultural and media landscapes. Based on selected examples from newspapers and magazines with an international scope, Tötösy argues that the reception of Kertész's Nobel Prize suggests the convergence of the media (as the message) and the contents of the message within …

Media Icons Of War And The Instrumentalisation Of Images In Us-American Media Today, Reinhold Viehoff

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

In his paper "Media Icons of War and the Instrumenalisation of Images in US-American Media Today," Reinhold Viehoff argues that the destruction of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad in April 2004 by the US army represents an attempt to instrumentalise the logic of mass media as a strategy of public diplomacy. Viehoff explains the logic of mass media and public diplomacy of the US government and US media today in the context of the history of the destruction of monuments as played out on the landscape of media during and following the demise of the Soviet empire. Viehoff proposes that …

New Books In German Media And Communication Studies, Martin Grimm

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Selected Bibliography Of German-Language Books In Media, Communication, And Cultural Studies (2000-2005), Martin Grimm

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

No abstract provided.

Modeling Of Capacitor Impedance In Switching Converters, Jonathan W. Kimball, Philip T. Krein, Kevin R. Cahill

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Switched capacitor (SC) converters are gaining acceptance as alternatives to traditional, inductor-based switching power converters. Proper design of SC converters requires an understanding of all loss sources and their impacts on circuit operation. In the present work, an equivalent resistance method is developed for analysis, and equivalent resistance formulae are presented for various modes of operation. Quasiresonant converters are explored and compared to standard SC converters. Comparisons to inductor-based switching power converters are made. A number of capacitor technologies are evaluated and compared for applications to both SC converters and inductor-based converters. The resulting model can be used to accurately …

Uab Study Finds Religion Helps Reduce Negative Prison Behaviors, Staff

Browse All News

No abstract provided.

Is 10% Good Enough? Cooperative Extension Work In Indian Country, Joseph G. Hiller

Journal of Extension

The Cooperative Extension system delivers local programs in virtually all of America's counties. Extension's intergovernmental model capitalizes on resources of counties, states, and the federal government and provides an institutional framework for county Extension work. The Extension system and model is not as applicable, however, for members of America's 562 Indian tribes, particularly those living on 314 major Indian reservations. This 90 year-old template is woefully inadequate for Indian Country Extension work. This article presents background on how this situation evolved and suggests that national-scale dialogue to develop program equity for this underserved and place-bound audience is needed.

Limited Resources--Growing Needs: Lessons Learned In A Process To Facilitate Program Evaluation, Cristobal Aguilar, Suzanne Thornsbury

Journal of Extension

Extension educators face the challenge of delivering reliable information as input to the decision-making process of clientele groups. This article draws on a process used to evaluate member perceptions of program effectiveness for a commodity organization where the program beneficiaries are also the funding source. While vast literature covers evaluation procedures and theory, there is little information on practical evaluation examples linked with this theory, a gap this article addresses. We use a recent project with the Michigan Apple Committee (MAC) to illustrate the process and draw attention to critical steps for a successful evaluation.

A Multipurpose Evaluation Strategy For Master Gardener Training Programs, Emelie Swackhamer, Nancy Ellen Kiernan

Journal of Extension

A multipurpose evaluation, developed to measure impact of master gardener training in Pennsylvania, quantitatively measured both learning and increase in confidence, applying data from before and after the training. The authors demonstrate how the same data can be summarized in different ways to better achieve program improvement or demonstrate accountability. The evaluation compiled feedback from a 16-county area, including a majority of trainees in the state. This uniform evaluation strategy eliminated duplication of effort by county educators, provided a high quality tool for the state, and serves as a model for evaluating multi-topic programs taught by many instructors.

Extension Connection: Workforce Development And Cooperative Extension Working Hand-In-Hand, Ruth C. Jackson, Sharon Hoelscher Day

Journal of Extension

The Extension Connection enhances life skills to support workforce development of low-income families by providing education promoting self-sufficiency. This program helps develop life skills that provide structure within the family and community. Project STRIDE supports workforce development in a high-crime, at-risk area with education. Project STRIDE increases stability within the family, helps families be productive in their community, and helps them overcome barriers to entering the work force, achieve job stability and advance in life for themselves and their families. Families also learn nutrition for healthy living and money management.

Fun And Friendship In The Natural World: The Impact Of Oregon 4-H Residential Camping Programs On Girl And Boy Campers, Mary E. Arnold, Virginia D. Bourdeau, Janet Nagele

Journal of Extension

This article presents the results of a multi-site evaluation of Oregon's 4-H Camps. The evaluation assessed 3 main areas: 1) personal growth, 2) life skill development, and 3) camper satisfaction. Questionnaires were administered at the end of each camp, with the data aggregated and analyzed across camps. Results revealed significant changes in personal growth and the development of selected life skills. Results also indicated that the campers enjoyed camp and their camp counselors. The results are confirming of what we know about the impact of camp and are important for sustaining investments currently made in camp programs.

Training Methods And Needs Related To Volunteer Management Competencies Of Extension 4-H Youth Development Agents, Brenda S. Seevers, Jacqueline S. Baca, Dawn Van Leeuwen

Journal of Extension

The purpose of the descriptive study reported here was to describe professional and personal training experiences related to volunteer management and development. A mail questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 4-H Youth Development Agents nationally. 4-H Youth Development agents reported low-levels of participation in volunteer management professional development activities during a 24-month period. However, when asked to identify specific areas of training needed, a long and varied list was generated. Primary needs identified were in the areas of recruitment and motivation, conflict management and liability issues, evaluation, and time management.

Drinking Water Issues In The Pacific Northwest, Robert L. Mahler, Robert Simmons, Fred Sorensen

Journal of Extension

This article contains drinking water information from a region-wide survey designed to collect base line data about water issues in the Pacific Northwest. The major findings were: (1) over 90% of survey respondents feel that their home drinking water is safe for consumption, (2) minerals were the most often cited pollutants in drinking water supplies, (3) approximately 25% of residents have installed filters on their sink faucets to improve water quality, and (4) over 25% of residents use bottled water for drinking purposes. These survey results will be used to develop relevant drinking water educational programs for citizens of the …