Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison Of Edge Detection Methods For Segmentation Of Skin Lesions In Mobile-Phone-Quality Images, Khanh Linh Hua

Theses : Honours

The world is faced with a rapidly increasing number of skin cancers every year. Melanoma is the most deadly type of skin cancer though it can be treated if it has been detected at an early stage. However, there is a shortage of dermatologists in rural areas. The increasing number of camera phones, together with improved coverage in rural areas gives some potential for tele-dermatology, whereby people with no local access to a dermatologist can send images of suspicious skin lesions to an expert for assessment. Merely relaying images to a human expert solves only part of the problem, there …

Rehearsal And Performance Practices Of Minimalist Music, Specifically Related To Music For Eighteen Musicians By Steve Reich, Callum Moncrieff

Theses : Honours

This dissertation serves to give an exposition of the origins, rehearsal and performance practices for minimalist music with particular attention paid to Music for Eighteen Musicians by Steve Reich. It contains interviews with performers of this work and attempts to define the underlying principles of minimalist music with particular reference to concentration and tempo. Rehearsal procedures are discussed as well as issues such as stamina and acoustics. The final section is dedicated to common mistakes and a reflection on the work from those who have performed it.

God's Lonely Men : Bernard Herrmann's Musical Voice For The Lonely And Tortured Men Of Cinema, Clare Nina Norelli

Theses : Honours

Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975) has long been regarded as one of the most important composers of film music. Emerging during a time when the majority of film scores worked primarily with the physical action onscreen or what was immediately obvious in the dramatic narrative, Herrmann's innovative compositional style instead focused on the unconscious and the psychological states at work. The following thesis is a discussion of the key elements of Herrmann's unique film score style and, via case studies of the three lonely male protagonists in the films Citizen Kane (Welles, USA, 1941), Vertigo (Hitchcock, USA, 1958) and Taxi Driver (Scorsese, …

An Investigation Into The Application Of Data Mining Techniques To Characterize Agricultural Soil Profiles, Rowan J. Maddern

Theses : Honours

The advances in computing and information storage have provided vast amounts of data. The challenge has been to extract knowledge from this raw data; this has led to new methods and techniques such as data mining that can bridge the knowledge gap. The research aims to use these new data mining techniques and apply them to a soil science database to establish if meaningful relationships can be found. A data set extracted from the WA Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFW A) soils database has been used to conduct this research. The database contains measurements of soil profile data from …

Learning The Documentary Lesson: Theory And Practice In English, Stuart M. Bender

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research investigates the problem of teaching documentary texts in the secondary English classroom in Western Australia. Historical studies of the subject indicate that it serves three functions; ethical training, aesthetic cultivation and rhetorical training. Previous research from the governmental perspective has investigated the problems associated with Literary texts, popular television drama and personal-response essay writing; it emerges that these familiar pedagogical activities are deployed in classrooms to function as opportunities to engage students in ethical training, often at the expense of the latter two functions. This research project is a post-positivist theoretical discussion supplemented by qualitative data in the …

Lost In Translation: Making Sense Of Dance Through Words, Paul T. O'Sullivan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this paper is to enter into the debate about meaning and movement and challenge the idea of dance as linguistic communication. Without words, and even with words according to some linguistic theorists, it's not possible to make sense unless we come to an agreement about a set of shared concepts. This is difficult in dance, an art form that has been silent, but undergoing evolutionary change for a large part of its history. I take the point of view that performance movement is even more arbitrary than text as a form of signification. We can read words …

Image Segmentation Using Multi-Coloured Active Illumination, Tze Ki (Xu Shuqi) Koh, Nicholas Miles, Barrie Hayes-Gill

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, the use of active illumination is extended to image segmentation, specifically in the case of overlapping particles. This work is based on Multi-Flash Imaging (MFI), originally developed by Mitsubishi Electric Labs, to detect depth discontinuities. Illuminations of different wavelengths are projected from multiple positions, providing additional information about a scene compared to conventional segmentation techniques. Shadows are used to identify true object edges. The identification of non- occluded particles is made possible by exploiting the fact that shadows are cast on underlying particles. Implementation issues such as selecting the appropriate colour model and number of illuminations are …

Landholder Information For The Safe Use And Management Of Strychnine For Wild Dog Traps, Renee Donovan, David Goodall

Biosecurity published reports

Farmnote 33/2003 - Guide to the safe use of strychnine for jawed traps is included.

Strychnine is a highly poisonous substance that is used in Western Australia for the control of Wild Dogs and Emus. Its use is restricted by law.

This manual outlines your roles and responsibilities for using and managing Strychnine for Wild Dog control. In particular, this manual outlines the essential information you need to know in regard to:

• The legislative requirements for Strychnine control in Western Australia
• The properties and mode of action of Strychnine « How to lodge an application to use Strychnine
• How to …

Anticipatory Event Detection Via Classification, He Qi, Kuiyu Chang, Ee Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The idea of event detection is to identify interesting patterns from a constant stream of incoming news documents. Previous research in event detection has largely focused on identifying the first event or tracking subsequent events belonging to a set of pre-assigned topics such as earthquakes, airline disasters, etc. In this paper, we describe a new problem, called anticipatory event detection (AED), which aims to detect if a user-specified event has transpired. AED can be viewed as a personalized combination of event tracking and new event detection. We propose using sentence-level and document-level classification approaches to solve the AED problem for …

Mining Multiple Visual Appearances Of Semantics For Image Annotation, Hung-Khoon Tan, Chong-Wah Ngo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper investigates the problem of learning the visual semantics of keyword categories for automatic image annotation. Supervised learning algorithms which learn only a single concept point of a category are limited in their effectiveness for image annotation. We propose to use data mining techniques to mine multiple concepts, where each concept may consist of one or more visual parts, to capture the diverse visual appearances of a single keyword category. For training, we use the Apriori principle to efficiently mine a set of frequent blobsets to capture the semantics of a rich and diverse visual category. Each concept is …

Adults' Perceived Prevalence Of Enteric Fever Predicts Laboratory-Validated Incidence Of Typhoid Fever In Children, Xinguang Chen, Bonita Stanton, Al Pach, Andrew Nyamete, R. Leon Ochiai, Linda Kaljee, Baiqing Dong, Dipika Sur, S.K. Bhattacharya, Siti Sapardiyah Santoso, Magdarina Agtini, Zahid Memon, Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, Canh Gia Do, Lorenz Von Seidlein, John Clemens

Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health

This study was undertaken to develop a model to predict the incidence of typhoid in children based on adults’ perception of prevalence of enteric fever in the wider community. Typhoid cases among children, aged 5-15 years, from epidemic regions in five Asian countries were confirmed with a positive Salmonella Typhi culture of the blood sample. Estimates of the prevalence of enteric fever were obtained from random samples of adults in the same study sites. Regression models were used for establishing the prediction equation. The percentages of enteric fever reported by adults and cases of typhoid incidence per 100,000, detected through …

Comparison Of Three Survey Methods Applied To The Recreational Rock Lobster Fishery Of Western Australia., Tara Baharthah

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A mail survey of recreational rock lobster licence holders has been conducted annually since 1986. The results from this survey have been used in the management of the recreational rock lobster fishery in Western Australia. Mail surveys are susceptible to non-response and recall bias. The key to determining useful estimates of fishing catch and effort is to minimise both biases. Telephone recall surveys, with high response rates, effectively eliminate nonresponse bias. However, they still suffer from recall bias when the recall period is greater than two months. Telephone diary surveys are free of non-response bias and recall bias and provide …

A Series Of Studies On Professional Rugby League Players, Daniel G. Baker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Rugby league football is a popular game in Australia, which appears to rely heavily upon strength, power, speed and endurance due to the nature of the phyiscal contacts. In an effort to discern the importance of upper body strength, power speed and endurance to rugby league players a retrospective data analysis was performed. Three areas of investigation were: 1) the testing of upper body physical qualities of strength, power, speed and strength-endurance and their significance to playing status in the elite national first-division (NRL), second-division (SRL) and third-division (CRL), 2) the effect of acute training variable manipulations upon power output …

Accident Denominators Relative To Age Groups In Heavy Industries Of The Port Hedland Region Of Western Australia, John R. Bottrell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this research is to investigate characteristics of accident denominators across age groups in mining and associated process industries in the Port Hedland region of Western Australia. Emphasis has been focussed on comparing young, inexperienced groups with older, more experienced groups. A literature review revealed some key contributors to accidents among younger workers, in particular, those who had only recently entered the workforce. The review also revealed contributors impacting accidents regarding other age groups over a wide range of industry types. From these findings an accident construct model and questionnaire were designed to identify contributing and mitigating denominators …

Is The Treatment And Transport Of Asystolic Cardiac Arrest Patients To Hospital By Ambulance Services Appropriate?, Andy Symons

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Paramedic's role requires them to attend many patients in cardiac arrest. The victim' s survival depends on a variety of issues, such as previous medical history, pathological cause of cardiac arrest, presenting cardiac arrest dysrhythmias, and the time elapsed before medical aid is administered. The purpose of this present study was to review current practice advocated by St John Ambulance Service WA for the treatment of the cardiac arrest dysrhythmia `asystole'. At present, certain victims of an asystolic arrest are treated and transported to hospital irrespective of time in arrest. As such, questions are raised as to the suitability …

The Case For Sports Law Arbitration And Practice In Singapore, Kam Wai, Warren Bartholomew Chik

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.

The Social Security Administration's New Disability Adjudication Rules: A Significant And Promising Reform, Frank S. Bloch, Jeffrey S. Lubbers, Paul R. Verkuil

Articles

The article evaluates the Social Security Administration's (SSA) new Disability Service Improvement (DSI) process, introduced in 2006, which aims to address inefficiencies and inconsistencies in disability adjudication. The reforms include key innovations such as Quick Disability Determinations (QDDs), the Medical and Vocational Expert System (MVES), and the replacement of the Appeals Council with the Decision Review Board (DRB). While the reforms represent a significant and promising step toward improving the disability determination process, the article identifies remaining concerns, particularly regarding the role of the Federal Reviewing Official (FRO) and rules for submitting evidence at administrative hearings.

Using Comparative Torts Materials To Teach First-Year Torts, Anthony J. Sebok

Articles

The article argues that incorporating comparative torts materials, particularly from European jurisdictions such as Germany and Italy, can effectively enhance the teaching of tort damages in first-year law courses. This approach is not about adopting a comparative curriculum but using these materials to provide deeper insights into American tort law.

In-Situ Optimized Pwas Phased Arrays For Lamb Wave Structural Health Monitoring, Lingyu Yu, Victor Giurgiutiu

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Facial Attractiveness, Weight, And Immediacy On Social Influence: A Test Of Dynamic Social Impact, Melinda Bullock

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Social impact theory (Latane, 1981) explains social influence as a multiplicative function of strength, immediacy, and number. Dynamic social impact theory (Latane, 1996a) states that four phenomena occur as a result of social influence: a) clustering (those living close together have similar attitudes), b) correlation (once unrelated attitudes become associated), c) consolidation (reduction in overall attitude variance), and d) continuing diversity (in spite of social influence attitudes diversity persists). This study used these two theories to examine how facial attractiveness, weight, and immediacy affect social influence. It. was expected that clustering, correlation, and consolidation would occur to a greater extent …

Affirmative Action Plan 2007, Illinois State University

Affirmative Action Plans

Illinois State University Affirmative Action Plan

Quantifying Instructional Interventions In Pediatric Physical Therapy With The Motor Teaching Strategies Coding Instrument (Mtsci-1): A Pilot Study, Helena Larin

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: This paper presents the development and preliminary psychomotor testing of a new instrument, the Motor Teaching Strategies Coding Instrument (MTSCI-1), designed to quantitatively assess motor-teaching strategies used by physical therapists during therapeutic interventions with children. Method: The MTSCI-1 was developed to evaluate the use of strategies grounded in motor learning theories and concepts. The items were generated from a review of the literature. To evaluate reliability, two physical therapists used the MTSCI-1 to code videotaped treatment sessions of pediatric physical therapists. Kappa was calculated. Validation was examined by comparing scores of physical therapists with different years of experience. Results: …

The Incoherence Of Dormant Commerce Clause Nondiscrimination: A Rejoinder To Professor Denning, Edward A. Zelinsky

Articles

A sound intuition animates Professor Denning's defense of the doctrinal status quo under the dormant commerce clause: the courts should not lightly abandon well-established constitutional canons. I nevertheless remain unconvinced by Professor Denning's effort to justify the long-standing interpretation of the dormant commerce clause as forbidding taxes which discriminate against interstate commerce. Whatever the historical justification for this constitutional precept, its past utility, or its visceral appeal, dormant commerce clause nondiscrimination is today doctrinally incoherent in tax contexts. The problem is not one of borderlines and close cases. Rather, at its core, the notion of dormant commerce clause tax nondiscrimination …

Mon Voyage: Paris Through My Eyes, Kristyn Ann Beckman

Honors Program Theses

The topic of MON VOYAGE: Paris Through My Eyes is a journey and exploration of culture. In my years at the University of Northern Iowa studying graphic design, I have always been interested in how my art can interpret my insights into my own world. While exploring this idea of art as interpretation, I began considering my own culture and my lack of knowledge of other cultures. Thus began the dream of traveling into a new culture and documenting the experience through my subconscious vision. I wanted to document a culture not as a tourist but as someone studying a …

Interior Design For The Classroom, Jessica Hellmann

Honors Program Theses

For my honors thesis, I chose to investigate the topic of classroom design. 1 specifically focused on classroom layout and seating arrangement, color schemes, visual displays (student work compared to commercially prepared products), and accommodations that could be made in the physical environment for students with special needs. All of these components of the interior design of the classroom greatly impact student learning and should be carefully analyzed and evaluated before setting up one's classroom.

Microbiological Enhancement Of Phosphorus Sequestration In Iron-Enriched Sediments, Lindsay Marie Sandersfeld

Honors Program Theses

An overabundance of phosphorus, primarily due to agricultural run off, is the source of increases in unwanted algae in Iowa's surface waters. Oxidized iron found in mine tailings will sequester phosphorus in sediments and prevent it from entering surface waters. Therefore, adding mine tailings to wetlands is a cheap and easy way to eliminate phosphorus pollution. This phosphorus removal process is enhanced by a microbial component that biochemically solubilizes iron tailings which allows them to efficiently react with free phosphorus in the water. The purpose of this project was to characterize the microbial component in this process. Ferric citrate medium …

Sound Spectral Analysis Of Uni Carillon Bells, Kimberly Cordray

Honors Program Theses

The campanile located in the center of the University of Northern Iowa campus has been a symbol of the university since its completion in 1926. This 100 foot tall structure was the chosen memorial celebrating the 50th anniversary of the university and dedicated to the founders and builders. But this towering structure is more than just a popular gathering point and icon, it houses 4 7 bells and a carillon instrument which plays these bells.

Bells are a unique and complex instrument. It is not hard to comprehend when you think about what a bell is. A carillon bell is …

Repeat After Me: The Use Of Errorless Learning In The Foreign Language Classroom, Mark Adam Foster

Honors Program Theses

Errorless learning is one of these concepts. It is a technique that allows for efficient learning devoid of the frustrating process of making countless errors; something that is usually associated with the mastering of almost any topic. Errorless learning has proved beneficial to many specialized populations, yet has eluded implementation in a normal classroom setting. It seems especially well suited for use in foreign language classrooms. It has been noted that these classrooms often lack specialized teaching strategies, particularly in regards to vocabulary and pronunciation learning (Gonzalez-Bueno, 2001; Barcroft, 2004). Errorless learning is an effective teaching strategy, and could be …

Lights Up! On Teaching Hints For Novice Theatre Educators, Chelsea Cunningham

Honors Program Theses

With Playhouse interns coming from a variety of learning and teaching backgrounds, it occurred to me that there was a need for training that introduces all of these new, young teachers to working with all groups of students, grades K-12, in the theatre. Thus, I have created Lights Up!, a resource stripped of educational psychology jargon that is meant to help theatre students teach and to help education majors acquire the skill of using theatre as a tool.

Everybody's Doing It But Me: Comparing Pluralistic Ignorance Across Behaviors, Katherine S. Corker

Honors Program Theses

This study examined pluralistic ignorance (PI) for a variety of behaviors and attitudes such as health behaviors ( exercise frequency, fruits and vegetables consumed, personal hygiene, marijuana use), subjective well-being, and television habits. Student and nonstudent participants indicated their, their best friend's, the average student's, and the average American adult's attitudes on various topics (e.g., drugs, personal well-being; Prentice & Miller, 1993) and completed measures of alienation (Dean, 1961 ). Student and nonstudent populations showed PI; however, some items showed greater PI than others. High PI items tended to be health behaviors for the student sample and television habits for …