Digital Commons Network^™

Recurrence In Breast Cancer. Analysis With Frailty Model, Mahmood R. Gohari, Mahmood Mahmoudi, Kazem Mohammed, Einollah Pasha, Reza Khodabakhshi

Saudi Medical Journal

OBJECTIVE: To determine the value of known prognostic factors for metastasis in breast cancer by accounting for patient-specific effect of patients who received surgical treatment followed by adjuvant treatment using the frailty model. METHODS: One hundred seventeen women with breast cancer who underwent surgery followed by adjuvant therapy at 3 hospitals in Tehran, Iran between 1995 and 2003 were enrolled in this study. Women with defined breast cancer with no distant metastases at time of diagnosis that have undergone modified radical mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery were enrolled. Tumors were classified according to the Tumor, Node, Metastasis (TNM) system of the …

Mathematics & Statistics Newsletter August 2006, Rit Department Of Mathematics And Statistics

RIT Digital Archives

No abstract provided.

An Energy-Efficient And Access Latency Optimized Indexing Scheme For Wireless Data Broadcast, Yuxia Yao, Xueyan Tang, Ee Peng Lim, Aixin Sun

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Data broadcast is an attractive data dissemination method in mobile environments. To improve energy efficiency, existing air indexing schemes for data broadcast have focused on reducing tuning time only, i.e., the duration that a mobile client stays active in data accesses. On the other hand, existing broadcast scheduling schemes have aimed at reducing access latency through nonflat data broadcast to improve responsiveness only. Not much work has addressed the energy efficiency and responsiveness issues concurrently. This paper proposes an energy-efficient indexing scheme called MHash that optimizes tuning time and access latency in an integrated fashion. MHash reduces tuning time by …

Selection Of Attractor Sounds For An Audio-Based Navigation System For The Visually Impaired, Brad Salisbury

Masters Theses

Research in to human hearing has been very ‘laboratory’ oriented in the sense that the test environments do not replicate most ‘real world’ situations [J.C. Middlebrooks and D.M. Green, Ann. Rev. of Psychology, 42, 135-159 (1991)]. While very useful information is gained from these types of tests, it is difficult to see how ‘real world’ situations affect sound source localization, recognition, and navigation (walking/way finding) performance. Such information is especially important to people who are visually impaired and dependent on prior knowledge of the environment or audio cues for travel. The research reported here was conducted during the development of …

Lsuhsc Facilities Biweekly Update: August 2006, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates: 2006

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates from August 7 and 18, 2006.

These updates describe damage and a timeline of repairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans campus due to Hurricane Katrina which made landfall August 29, 2005.

Social Network Dynamics For Open Source Software Projects, Y. Long, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Drawing on social network theories and previous studies, this research is an initial effort to explore the dynamics of the social network structure in Open Source Software (OSS) teams. Three projects were selected from SourceForge.net in term of their similarities as well as their differences. Monthly data were extracted from the bug tracking system in order to achieve a longitudinal view of the interaction pattern of each project. Social network analysis was used to generate the indices of network structure. The finding suggests that the interaction pattern of OSS projects evolves from a single hub at the beginning to a …

Using Mobile Technology In Education: Perspectives Of Students And Instructors, H. Sheng, F. Nah, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Mobile technology has the tremendous potential in supporting and improving education and its delivery. As a new phenomenon that is gaining popularity, the values of mobile technology in education need to be better researched and understood. In this research, we used the Value-Focused Thinking approach to interview students and instructors to identify the values of education that are enabled by mobile technology. These values are represented in the form of a means-ends objective network that not only captures the values of education facilitated by mobile technology but also depicts the relationships between these values. The values of education enabled by …

Understanding Intrinsic Factors Influencing Benefit Maximization Of Is Usage, Brenda Eschenbrenner, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This research uses the Repertory Grid technique to understand intrinsic factors influencing benefit maximization of IS usage. The results show that domain-relevant skills, task motivation, cognitive/work style attributes, individual characteristics (identified as creativity traits) and personal characteristics (identified as innovativeness traits) influence benefit maximization of IS usage. The findings not only provide insights on ways to increase quality of IS usage in organizations but are also helpful for identifying approaches that foster attributes leading to increased benefit realization from IS usage.

A Hybrid Architecture Combining Reactive Plan Execution And Reactive Learning, Samin Karim, Liz Sonenberg, Ah-Hwee Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Developing software agents has been complicated by the problem of how knowledge should be represented and used. Many researchers have identified that agents need not require the use of complex representations, but in many cases suffice to use “the world” as their representation. However, the problem of introspection, both by the agents themselves and by (human) domain experts, requires a knowledge representation with a higher level of abstraction that is more ‘understandable’. Learning and adaptation in agents has traditionally required knowledge to be represented at an arbitrary, low-level of abstraction. We seek to create an agent that has the capability …

Bias And Controversy: Beyond The Statistical Deviation, Hady W. Lauw, Ee Peng Lim, Ke Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we investigate how deviation in evaluation activities may reveal bias on the part of reviewers and controversy on the part of evaluated objects. We focus on a 'data-centric approach' where the evaluation data is assumed to represent the ground truth'. The standard statistical approaches take evaluation and deviation at face value. We argue that attention should be paid to the subjectivity of evaluation, judging the evaluation score not just on 'what is being said' (deviation), but also on 'who says it' (reviewer) as well as on 'whom it is said about' (object). Furthermore, we observe that bias …

Faculty Senate Senate Membership, 2006-2007, Vol 37, P 8, Unm Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Documents

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Attendance, 2006, Vol 37, P 9-11, Unm Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Documents

No abstract provided.

Learning The Unified Kernel Machines For Classification, Steven C. H. Hoi, Michael R. Lyu, Edward Y. Chang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Kernel machines have been shown as the state-of-the-art learning techniques for classification. In this paper, we propose a novel general framework of learning the Unified Kernel Machines (UKM) from both labeled and unlabeled data. Our proposed framework integrates supervised learning, semi-supervised kernel learning, and active learning in a unified solution. In the suggested framework, we particularly focus our attention on designing a new semi-supervised kernel learning method, i.e., Spectral Kernel Learning (SKL), which is built on the principles of kernel target alignment and unsupervised kernel design. Our algorithm is related to an equivalent quadratic programming problem that can be efficiently …

A Simulation Model For Determining Cost-Effectiveness Of Fences For Reducing Deer Damage, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Michael J. Lavelle, Scott E. Hygnstrom

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The installation of fences to protect agricultural products, natural resources, or other areas from deer (Odocoileus spp.) can be expensive and potential benefits of fencing are difficult to quantify. A rational method is needed to help evaluate whether fencing can be cost-effective and which fence designs will be optimal for particular applications. We describe an interactive, dynamic simulation model that conducts economic analyses and predicts economic benefit associated with fences for crops relative to area and perimeter of protected plot, value of crop, percentage of crop damaged by deer annually prior to fencing, efficacy of fence, and costs of fence …

Baylisascaris Procyonis (Nematoda: Ascaridoidea) In Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) From Duval County, Texas, David B. Long, Tyler A. Campbell, Scott E. Henke

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Baylisascaris procyonis, or the raccoon roundworm, primarily utilizes the raccoon as its definitive host, and has been found in >90 species of North American animal intermediate hosts (mostly birds, lagomorphs, and rodents) (Kazacos 2001). In non-raccoon hosts, including humans, larvae of this parasitic nematode can cause severe neurological disease (cerebrospinal nematodiasis) and often damage visceral and ocular tissues (Kazacos 2001). Formerly, B. procyonis was not thought to occur in Texas (Chandler 1942; Schaffer et al. 1981). However, it was recently discovered in raccoons occurring in moist environments of coastal areas (Kerr et al. 1997) and in eastern portions of …

The Effects Of No Child Left Behind Act On North Dakota Career And Technical Education Programs, Jerome Alden Gunderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to research the effects of No Child Left Behind legislation on the enrollment of Career and Technical Education programs in the state of North Dakota. In 2001, the US Congress passed the “No Child Left Behind’' legislation. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has initiated much discussion and forced changes to many public school K-12 programs. The legislation was written specifically to address educational issues related to core academic educational programs such as math, English, science, and social studies.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs were not addressed in the NCLB legislation, but …

Design, Integration And Control Of Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzer For Wind Based Renewable Energy Applications, Kevin W. Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

This research endeavor began with the design and construction of a new hydrogen test facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). To improve the electrical link of wind-based electrolysis the characterization of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) elect) /zer under varying input power was performed at NRELs new test facility. The commercially available electrolyzer from Proton Energy Systems (PES) was characterized using constant direct current (DC), sinusoidally varying DC, photovoltaics and variable magnitude and frequency energy from a 10 kW wind turbine.

At rated stack current and ~ 40°C the system efficiency of the commercial electrolyzer was measured to …

Days Of Love Translation Of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer's Anuraaghathintaey Dhingal, Mirosh Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

Anuraaghathintaey Dhinangal is a novel in Malayalam language by the celebrated novelist of Kerala Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (1908- 1994). It was written as a memoir in 1946 and was published for the first time in 1983. It discusses the love affair of a high caste Hindu woman and a Muslim writer who resembles Basheer himself (it was written as a diary) in a complex religious and political background.

The segment translated here starts with the narrator’s account of the first moment when he met the girl and goes through an array of letters exchanged between them discussing the cultural, religious …

Academic Achievement And Socialization Skill Development Of North Dakota Home Schooled Children, Loren D. Scheer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study examined the academic level of achievement and social skills curriculum of home schooled children in North Dakota. The researcher surveyed North Dakota home schooling parents. The researcher received 106 completed surveys from participants at a North Dakota home schooling conference and through follow-up communications.

The results of the research indicate the levels of academic achievement of North Dakota home schooled students, how socialization skill development was taught, the percentage of North Dakota home schooled children who continued with post-secondary education, and the reasons home schooled parents are home schooling their children.

North Dakota home schooling …

Learning Style, Mode Of Assessment, And Medical College Admission Test Performance Of Students In The First Two Years Of Medical School, Charles C. Hosford

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation had four purposes: first, to determine what specific learning styles students entering medical school possess, second to investigate whether one or more relationship exists between those students' learning styles and their performance on the various sections of the Medical College Admission Test, third to investigate whether one or more relationship exists between the students' learning styles and their performance on the various modes of assessment used during their first two years of training, and fourth, to investigate whether one or more relationship exists between the students' performance on the modes of assessment incorporated into the Medical College Admission …

Implications Of Bismarck Public Schools Secondary Course Sequencing On Student Academic Achievement And Post Secondary Readiness, John M. Salwei

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Postoperative Nausea And Vomiting Algorithm Pocket Guide, Laurie Senn

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONY) remain common complications following surgery and their causes and treatments are complex. Despite much research and advances in treatment, PONY is present as often as 25-30% following all surgical cases. Patients have identified avoidance of nausea and vomiting, avoidance of gagging on endotracheal tube, and control of postoperative pain as their top priorities following surgery. Certain patient characteristics, type of surgery performed, and some anesthetic medications have been implicated in increasing the risk of developing PONY. Patients at high risk for developing PONY are frequently female, have a history of PONY or motion sickness, …

The Barriers Preventing Native Americans From Becoming Teachers As Perceived By Four Selected Mandan, Hidatsa, And Arikara Teachers, Andrew James Reed

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

4,4′-(1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexafluoro­Propane-2,2-Diyl)Bis­(Benzoyl Chloride), Cecilia Rodriguez De Barbarin, Sylvain Bernes, Javier Macossay-Torres, Patrick E. Cassidy

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Chemistry)

In the structure of the title mol­ecule, C17H8Cl2F6O2, the dihedral angle between the least-squares planes of the benzene rings is 66.31 (15)°. The CF3 groups adopt an eclipsed conformation.

07-31-2006 2006 Swosu Summer Graduation List, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

THE BARK ARCHIVE 2006

A total of 196 students at Southwestern Oklahoma State University completed requirements for either associate, bachelor’s or master’s degrees this summer on the Weatherford and Sayre campuses.

High Schoolers Make Smart Move At Unh, David Sims

Media Relations

No abstract provided.

Formant Analysis For Kiswahili Vowels, Y. Y. Sungita, E. E. Mhamilawa

Tanzania Journal of Science

Vowels' spectral characteristics in a language have been studied for suitability in speech recognition by using formants analysis technique. Other techniques do mostly require large computer memories for speech processing and analysis. In this paper, the formant analysis for Kiswahili vowels has been presented. The spectrographs for each vowel and their respective average formant frequencies are tabled. The distribution of formants for the vowels modelled in the form of an articulatory model is shown. The results show that there is a big separation of formant frequencies among the Kiswahili vowels that signify the suitability for automatic speech recognition.

Stable Isotope Compositions Of Organic Carbon And Contents Of Organic Carbon And Nitrogen Of Lacustrine Sediments From Sub-Arid Northern Tanzania, Ann Muzuka

Tanzania Journal of Science

The stable isotope compositions of organic carbon (OC), and contents of OC and nitrogen for four sediment cores recovered from lakes Makat (located in the Ngorongoro Crater), Ndutu and Masek (located in the Serengeti Plains) are used to document sources of organic matter (OM) and climatic changes in sub-arid northern Tanzania during the late Pleistocene-Holocene period. Accelerate mass spectrometer (AMS) 14C ages on total OM for sediments collected from the Ngorongoro Crater Lake indicate that the sedimentation rate is approximately 17 cm/ka. The δC values from the 20 cm long core (short core) show a downcore increase, whereas that of …

Physico-Chemical And Grain Cooking Characteristics Of Selected Rice Cultivars Grown In Morogoro, N.B. Shayo, P. Mamiro, C. N. M. Nyaruhucha, T. Mamboleo

Tanzania Journal of Science

A study was carried out at Sokoine University of Agriculture to characterize the local rice varieties grown in Morogoro Region basing on their physical-chemical characteristics and cooking quality parameters. Five cultivars of rice were analyzed and these included Kaling'anaula, Kihogo Red, Salama M17, Supa and Salama. The samples were collected from Crop museum, SUA. The chemical analysis was done to determine the proximate composition, gelatinization temperature and gel consistency as main determinants of cooking quality, sensory evaluation tests was done as determinants for consumer acceptance. The proximate composition results indicated protein content values between 7.94 and 9.46%, ash content between …

The Lability Of Organic Groups In The Reaction Of 2-(2-Pyridyl)Phenyl(P-Ethoxyphenyl)Tellurium(Ii) With Palladium (Ii) And Platinum (Ii) Chlorides, S. A. Mbogo

Tanzania Journal of Science

Reaction between 2- (- pyridyl )phenyl(p-ethoxyphenyl)tellurium(II), RR'Te, and PdCl2 or PtCl2 are complex. The organic groups R and R' are labile, trans-metallation to form RM-groups (M=Pd, Pt) occurs. The solid phases isolated have well defined stoichiometries, eg R'TePdCl, R2R'TePtCl5 and these are discussed together with IR, 1H and 195Pt NMR data.