Digital Commons Network^™

Semantic Web For Health Care And Biomedical Informatics, Amit P. Sheth

Kno.e.sis Publications

No abstract provided.

Empirically Evaluating Claims About Investment Treaty Arbitration, Susan Franck

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

With the blossoming of empirical legal scholarship, there is an increased appreciation for the insights it offers issues of international importance. One area that can benefit from such inquiry is the resolution of disputes from investment treaties, which affects international relations, implicates international legality of domestic government conduct, and puts millions of taxpayer dollars at risk. While suggesting there has been a "litigation explosion", commentators make untested assertions about investment treaty disputes. Little empirical work transparently explores this area, however. As the first research that explains its methodology and results, this article is a modest attempt to evaluate claims about …

Negotiating 'Professional Agency': Social Work And Decision-Making Within The Ontario Child Welfare System, Henry Parada, Lisa Barnoff, Brienne Coleman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article explores how social work as a discipline has helped to negotiate professional agency in decision-making within the restructured child protection system. The narratives of child protection workers affirm that a restrictive climate does exist in child protection agencies and that it indeed shapes the way they make their decisions. This study uses institutional ethnography as the methodology for exploring the decision-making practices of child protection workers. Three forms of data collection were used: experience as data, documentation reviews and in-depth interviews.

Contexts And Corporate Voluntary Environmental Behaviors: Examining The Epa's Green Lights Voluntary Program, Seong-Gin Moon, Peter Deleon

Peer Reviewed Articles - Public, Nonprofit, and Health Administration

Why do an increasingly large number of firms choose to spend their own money and resources to protect the environment beyond the extant regulatory requirements? This article addresses this question by examining the EPA’s Green Lights (GL) voluntary program in which a firm’s policy makers made an early commitment to limiting greenhouse gases through the installation of energy-efficient lighting technology in its facilities. Two theoretical perspectives—resource-based theory and neo-institutional theory—are adopted to investigate the contexts by which a firm is encouraged to undertake voluntary environmental actions and evaluate environmental strategies associated with them. Accordingly, the authors focus on two major …

Natural Creative Process. Writing A Book And Investigating The Relationship Between Natural And Applied Creativity., K. J. Markus Redvall

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This write-up is describing the process of preparing a concept for an interview book about natural creative process. Three persons working creatively on a regular basis is interviewed and a chapter of the future book is produced based on one of them. All three interviews are then used to discuss the relationship between natural creativity (creativity done without any tools or techniques) and applied creativity. 5 concepts are identified in natural creativity that could be of potential use in the applied world. The concepts are: (1) Incubation; (2) Flow; (3) Motivation; (4) Attitudes; and (5) Inspiration. Ways of using these …

Australia's School Funding System, Andrew Dowling

Program monitoring and evaluation

Australian governments spend over $30 billion on primary and secondary schools each year.1 Yet the process of school funding, including the way in which amounts are calculated, distributed and reported upon, is unavailable not only to the wider public but to some extent even to those working in education. Although Australia’s total spending on schools is small by international standards (given the size of its population), it is significant enough to warrant a more transparent process.

Faculty Profile: Shannon Donovan's Online Course, William C. Levin

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

Decomposition-Based Recovery Of Absorbers In Turbid Media, S D. Campbell, I L. Goodin, S D. Grobe, Qichang Su, Rainer Grobe

Faculty publications – Physics

We suggest that the concept of the point-spread function traditionally used to predict the blurred image pattern of various light sources embedded inside turbid media can be generalized under certain conditions to predict also the presence and location of spatially localized absorbing inhomogeneities based on shadow point-spread functions associated with each localized absorber in the medium. The combined image obtained from several absorbers can then be decomposed approximately into the arithmetic sums of these individual shadow point-spread functions with suitable weights that can be obtained from multiple-regression analysis. This technique permits the reconstruction of the location of absorbers.

Legacy - December 2007, South Carolina Institute Of Archaeology And Anthropology--University Of South Carolina

SCIAA Magazine - Legacy & PastWatch

Contents:

Draught Triggers Archaeology at Dry Lake Beds.....p. 1
Director’s Note.....p. 2
SCIAA Offers Postdoctoral Position.....p. 3
Conference on Southeastern Colonial Frontiers.....p. 3
Collaboration with USC’s Department of Geology.....p. 6
SCIAA’s Maritime Research Division Web Site Available.....p. 9
German Stonewares from Colonial Sites.....p. 10
New Book: Ceramics in America.....p. 13
New Thoughts on Old Pottery.....p. 14
Late Holocene Taquara/Itareare Culture in Argentina.....p. 16
R. L. Stephenson Fund.....p. 17
SCIAA/ART Donors 2006-2007.....p. 18
34th Annual Conference on South Carolina Archaeology.....p. 20

Child Welfare's Paradox, Dorothy E. Roberts

William & Mary Law Review

No abstract provided.

Qubit, December 2007

Qubit (Cuban science fiction magazine)

The December 2007 issue of the Qubit.

Twenty Professionals Selected For Pinnacle Class Of 2008

Georgia Library Quarterly

The article lists the selected participants for PINNACLE, the Public Library Institute for New and Creative Leadership Education, a new training program run by Georgia Public Library Service. The Carl Vinson Institute of Government helped design the curriculum and will lead the training.

J-Big Rain Gutters Store, Samanya Chantarasirichan

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

The need of a simple and inexpensive way to promote my business, product and services along with the traditional ways of advertising is examined. It costs practically nothing to put a web site online. Putting brochures, newsletters, and catalogs online saves a fortune in printing and mailing cost. News Releases and media can be distributed over the Internet quicker and cheaper. Web site for my shop will work 24 hours a day, seven days a week advertising my business. Currently we have no way to changes information on our printed advertising material instantly. The Customers have to visit in the …

Hiv/Aids Policies In The United States And The United Kingdom: Emerging At-Risk Groups And The Struggle For Limited Resources, Jennifer Lorren Willis

Masters Theses

This thesis compares the HIV/ AIDS policies in the United States of America and the United Kingdom since the emergence of the virus in 1981. Despite a privatized health care system in the U.S. and the universal system in the UK, which lie on opposite ends of the policy care spectrum, similar populations have recently emerged as those most in need of health care services, preventative programs, and financial assistance. This thesis employs several quantitative and qualitative data to highlight the emergence of women and minorities in both nations as those that are most in need of resources. Data has …

Surviving Tenure: The Plight Of Black Faculty; A Panel Discussion, Kimberly Flint-Hamilton, Diane Batts Morrow, John Morrow Jr., Jamie T. Phelps O.P.

Journal of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium

This essay, delivered during the 2006 Annual Meeting in Boston, presents four tenured professors from three different universities who discuss the unique problems faced by Black faculty at predominantly White institutions as they attempt to earn tenure and promotion. Chair Kimberly Flint-Hamilton provides the introductory remarks.

Music Therapy With High-Risk Youth: An Exploration Of Current Practice, Beth A. Clark

Masters Theses

This study explored the practices of music therapists in the United States and Canada who had worked with high-risk youth within the previous ten years. High-risk youth were defined as those likely to experience a decline in global level of functioning due to one or more issues related to mental health, substance misuse, or other social, economic, or cultural disadvantages, including correctional system involvement, street-involvement, or unstable home environment. An online survey of credentialed music therapists was conducted to explore the areas of demographics, clinical practice and information-seeking. Music therapists working with high-risk youth were asked to identify the most …

職能治療師專業認同之現況調查, 璦琬 潘, 詞章 陳, 麗英 鍾, 致瑩 李, 瑋玲 許

Journal of Medical Education

增進專業認同一直是各專業用以提升服務品質的策略之一，本研究之目的是探討職能治療師對職能治療專業的認同情形、影響認同感之因素以及提升專業認同感之建議。本研究以郵寄問卷的方式進行，研究者由2004年台灣職能治療學會通訊錄中，進行隨機抽樣，共抽出200位樣本以寄發問卷。回收67份，回收率33.5%。填答者平均年齡為33.6歲(SD=6.5)；共有49 位女性，佔73.1%。回收問卷中，填答者的工作機構中，醫學中心佔多數，共43.3%。服務年資以5~10年佔多數，共37.3%。工作領域別中，38.8%從事「心理疾病職能治療」，佔最多數。居住者以北部為最多，佔35.8%。教育程度方面，59.7%具有大學之學歷。影響職能治療師的專業認同之因素依序為：「實習時的老師」、「大學實習」、、「家屬病患對職能治療師的肯定」、「醫療團隊中的重要性」、「醫療團隊中的自主性」。其中，「大學實習」與「實習時的老師」兩因素與先前研究影響大學生專業認同感之因素相同。職能治療師提及用以提升認同感之建議，包括：改善工作環境、加強職能治療之行銷及增加在職進修等。本文是首篇調查台灣的職能治療師之專業認同感情形。研究結果顯示，越喜歡職能治療及工作環境、年資越高、年齡越大、越喜歡與人接觸且月收入越高的臨床治療師，其專業認同感越高。此外，年資越高、月收入越高、年齡越大者越瞭解職能治療；年齡越大、越喜歡與人接觸者越喜歡職能治療專業。顯現了個人特質對專業認同感之重要影響。迴歸分析之結果顯示，「喜不喜歡職能治療」是預測認同感程度的最顯著因子。因此，可藉由提升對職能治療的喜歡度，來強化工作者之專業認同程度。

Advertising In The Garden Of Eden, Mark Bartholomew

Buffalo Law Review

Millions of people each day log on to participate in "virtual worlds" where they can acquire virtual property, inhabit virtual spaces, and form lasting relationships with other virtual beings. Excited over the potential of a world without physical limitations, commentators extoll the numerous benefits of virtual life and its possibilities as a forum for social experiment. A real threat to this potential Eden exists, however, in the form of advertisers rushing in to sell their wares. Three functional components are present in all advertising - information, persuasion, and personal expression. When these three components are mapped onto the contours of …

Unlaw, Emily Albrink Hartigan

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

On Legalistic Behavior, The Advocacy Privilege, And Why People Hate Lawyers, Margaret Raymond

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Random Change Of Variables And Applications To The Stochastic Porous Medium Equation With Multiplicative Time Noise, S V Lototsky

Communications on Stochastic Analysis

No abstract provided.

Identifying Synonymous Terms In Preparation For Technology Mining, Cherie C. Trumbach

Management Faculty Publications

In this research, the development of a `concept-clumping algorithm' designed to improve the clustering of technical concepts is demonstrated . The algorithm developed first identifies a list of technically relevant noun phrases from a cleaned extracted list and then applies a rule-based algorithm for identifying synonymous terms based on shared words in each term. An assessment of the algorithm found that the algorithm has an 89—91% precision rate, was successful in moving technically important terms higher in the term frequency list, and improved the technical specificity of term clusters.

Synthesis, Study Of Self-Assembly, And Trivalent Lanthanide Metal Ion Recognition Characteristics Of Amphiphilic Acylpyrazolones And Amphiphilic Acylisoxazolones, Venkat Reddy Guduru

Dissertations

This research project focused on the separation of trivalent lanthanide metal ions by HPLC using amphiphilic acylpyrazolones and amphiphilic acylisoxazolones. The central hypothesis of our research project is that the nanoscale self-assembly nature of amphiphilic ligands (chelating lingads) can influence their metal ion recognition and separation. To test the central hypothesis, we have synthesized a family of novel amphiphilic ligands and employed them as model systems for the separation of trivalent lanthanide metal ions. Several novel intermediates such as 4-acylated. N -acylated, O -acylated pyrazolones and isoxazolones, have been efficiently synthesized and fully characterized.*

The trivalent lanthanide metal ion recognition …

A Mixed Methods Analysis Of The Concept Of Female Sexual Health, Laura C. Ford

Dissertations

The theoretical concept of health includes the ability to function physiologically, perceive a state of wellness, participate in social relationships, and be disease-free. Currently, the medical field approaches sexuality from a disease prevention and treatment perspective. Female sexual health must be understood holistically (i.e., emotionally, sociologically, and physiologically) for healthcare providers to help their patients optimize their sexual health; however, little research has been conducted from a holistic perspective. This study's purpose was to begin an exploration of the meaning of female sexual health.

This study utilized focus groups and a survey to explore the concept female sexual health as …

An Analysis Of The Environmental Content Of Las Vegas Strip Hotels, Andrew M. Levey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines the environmental content of hotel properties websites. The central question of this study is whether Las Vegas Strip properties have gone green, or plan to go green. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine the frequency of the environmental content of twenty-three Las Vegas Strip hotels’ websites as well as five upcoming hotel projects and one hotel expansion project on the Strip. The twenty-eight hotels are all located along Las Vegas Boulevard, also known as the Strip. All properties examined have over two thousand rooms each. The goal is to determine how prevalent and important …

Evalution Of The Efficacy Of The Photosystem Ii Inhibitor Dcmu In Periphyton And Its Effects On Nontarget Microorganisms And Extracellular Enzymatic Reactions, Steven N. Francoeur, Audrey C. Johnson, Kevin A. Kuehn, Robert K. Neely

Faculty Publications

We examined the efficacy of the photosystem II inhibitor 3-(3,4-diclorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl urea (DCMU) for inhibition of algal photosynthesis in periphyton associated with submerged decomposing litter of Typha angustifolia. We also investigated the possible nontarget effects of DCMU exposure on heterotrophic microorganisms (i.e., bacteria and fungi) and extracellular enzyme activity associated with decaying litter. Standing-dead Typha leaf litter was submerged for 34 and 73 d, returned to the laboratory, and used for controlled laboratory experiments that examined the effect of DCMU on algal ([¹⁴C]bicarbonate, pulse-amplitude modulated fluorometry), bacterial ([³H]leucine), and fungal ([¹⁴C]acetate) production. Simultaneous assays …

An Investigation Of Relationship Characteristics, Exercise And Physical Activity, Couple And Life Satisfaction, Mark W. St. Martin

Dissertations

Exercise has been shown to be positively related to many different variables including sexual satisfaction, mental health, and physical health. These variables, in turn, have been linked to increased life satisfaction and couple satisfaction. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between exercise and couple satisfaction as well as exercise and life satisfaction. A secondary purpose was to replicate previous findings on the relationships between communication, love, sexual satisfaction, self-esteem, and physical health and couple satisfaction.

A total of 229 undergraduate and graduate students from a large Midwestern university in the United States participated in this …

University Reporter - Volume 12, Number 04 - December 2007

1996-2009, University Reporter

This issue of the University Reporter includes articles about J. Keith Motley’s appointment as UMass Boston’s Eighth chancellor, the University's involvement with OpenCourseWare initiatives, a celebration of Native American heritage on campus, the Gastón Institute's analysis of community responses to recent immigration raids, and other news from UMass Boston.

And They Were There -- Reports Of Meetings -- 27th Annual Charleston Conference, Ramune K. Kubilius

Against the Grain

No abstract provided.

Detection And Removal Of Eyeblink Artifacts From Eeg Using Wavelet Analysis And Independent Component Analysis, Jimy Pesin

Theses

Electrical signals generated by brain activity that are measured by the electroencephalogram can be distorted by electrical activity originating from eyeblinks and eye movements. This thesis proposes a new technique to identify and remove eyeblink artifacts from EEG data. An algorithm using a combination of wavelet analysis and independent component analysis (ICA) is implemented to detect the temporal location of the eyeblink artifact and eliminate it without compromising the integrity of the primary EEG data. The discrete wavelet transform is performed on 10 second epochs of data to detect the occurrence of ocular artifact. ICA is used to separate out …