Digital Commons Network^™

Estimating The Efficacy Of Mild Heating Processes Taking Into Account Microbial Non-Linearities: A Case Study On The Thermisation Of A Food Simulant, Vasilis Valdramidis, Brijesh Tiwari, Patrick J. Cullen, Alain Kondjoyan, Jan Van Impe

Articles

Traditional and novel approaches for the calculation of the heat treatment efficiency are compared in this work. The Mild Heat value (MH-value), an alternative approach to the commonly used sterilisation, pasteurisation and cook value (F, P, C–value), is calculated to estimate the efficiency of a mild heat process. MH-value is the time needed to achieve a predefined microbial reduction at a reference temperature and a known thermal resistant constant, z, for log-linear or specific types of non log-linear microbial inactivation kinetics. An illustrative example is given in which microbial inactivation data of Listeria innocua CLIP 20-595 are used for estimating …

Gj Belfrost (England), Thomas Cooney, Jennifer Manning

Case Study

No abstract provided.

Simulated Performance Intensity Functions, Andrew Hines, Naomi Harte

Conference papers

Measuring speech intelligibility for different hearing aid fitting methods in a simulated environment would allow rapid prototyping and early design assessment. A simulated performance intensity function (SPIF) test methodology has been developed to allow experimentation using an auditory nerve model to predict listeners’ phoneme recognition. The test discriminates between normal hearing and progressively degrading levels of sensorineural hearing loss. Auditory nerve discharge patterns, presented as neurograms, can be subjectively ranked by visual inspection. Here, subjective inspection is substituted with an automated ranking using a new image quality metric that can quantify neurogram degradation in a consistent manner. This work reproduces …

Comparing Hearing Aid Algorithm Performance Using Simulated Performance Intensity Functions, Andrew Hines, Naomi Harte

Conference papers

Simulated performance intensity functions were used to quantitatively discriminate speech intelligibility through phoneme discrimination assessment. Listener test results for subjects with a wide range of sensorineural hearing losses were simulated using an auditory nerve model and compared to real listeners' unaided and aided performance. Simulations of NAL-RP and DSL 4.0 fitting algorithms were compared. Auditory nerve discharge patterns from the model were presented as neurograms. An automated ranking process was used to quantify neurogram degradation using a new measure, the Neurogram Similarity Index Measure (NSIM). The measure has previously been shown to correlate well in predictions of phoneme discrimination for …

An Online Framework For Supporting The Evaluation Of Personalised Information Retrieval Systems, Catherine Mulwa, Luca Longo, Seamus Lawless, Mary Sharpe, Vincent Wade

Conference papers

Scope - Personalised Information Retrieval (PIR) has been gaining attention because it investigates intelligent ways for enhancing content delivery. Web users can have personalised services and more accurate information. Problem - Several PIR systems have been proposed in the literature; however, they have not been properly tested or evaluated. Proposal – The authors propose a generally applicable web-based interface, which provides PIR developers and evaluators with: i) implicit recommendations on how to evaluate a specific PIR system; ii) a repository containing studies on user-centred and layered evaluation studies; iii) recommendations on how to best combine different evaluation methods, metrics and …

Raman Microscopy: Complement Or Competitor, Hugh Byrne, Ganesh Sockalingum, Nick Stone

Books/Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Volatility Analysis Of Precious Metals Returns And Oil Returns, Lucia Morales, Bernadette Andreosso

Conference papers

This study examines volatility persistence on precious metals returns taking into account oil returns and the three world major stock equity indices (Dow Jones Industrials, FTSE 100, and Nikkei 225) using daily data over the sample period January 1995- May 2008. We first determine when large changes in the volatility of each market returns occur, by identifying major global events that would increase the volatility of these markets; the Iterated Cumulative Sums of Squares (ICSS) algorithm helps identify the break points or sudden changes in the variance of returns in each market using the standardized residuals obtained through the GARCH(1,1) …

Community-Based Internet Usage Policy Development, Mashael Alhawsah

Students Learning with Communities

The Internet is a tool for learning and obtaining a vast amount of information, but it is a tool which also has associated problems. The number of risks associated with the internet has been increasing both in number and in danger. As a result, protection measures must be developed to minimize the risks. One of the most important groups of such measures are Internet Usage Policies. An Internet Usage Policy addresses the problem by providing a set of guideline to be followed which minimize the risks. This dissertation investigates the development of Internet Usage Policy with the assistance of the …

An Analysis Of Road Safety And Older Driver Behaviour, Tara Mchugh

Students Learning with Communities

This paper analyses road safety and the behaviour of older drivers in the area of County Monaghan. County Monaghan is a border County with many of the interviewees living in border towns. The literature review covers aspects related to issues regarding road safety and driver behaviour, not only to older drivers but to drivers of all ages. The literature review revealed the importance of road safety worldwide, highlighting the hazardous outcomes of negative driver behaviour. A methodology was planned and carried out to analyse older driver behaviour. A pilot study was conducted to determine the suitability and relevance of the …

Universal Design Project, Anita Foley

Students Learning with Communities

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Road Safety Behaviour Of Rented Dublin Bike Users With That Of Owner Cyclists, Eileen Deegan

Students Learning with Communities

Cycling is a unique way of travelling and exercising. The Irish Heart Foundation recommends thirty minutes of exercise most days in the week to maintain a healthy heart (IHF, 2008). The introduction of the Dublin-bike scheme by Dublin city Council in connection with JCDecaux on the 13th of September 2009 has encouraged and allowed more people to cycle around the city of Dublin. Since their introduction, Dublin-bikes have grown rapidly in popularity. By the 31st of December 2009 24,016 people had subscribed to the scheme (Dublin City Council, 2009). On the 16th of August 2010, The Irish Times published that …

The Use Of Knowledge Management Techniques To Aid Learning Retention In On-Line Learning Environments, Frank O'Reilly

Students Learning with Communities

The focus of this research is e-Learning and Knowledge Management and the synergies between them. While they are both very distinct and different domains, they share the twin goals of delivering personal advancement and improving performance through the acquisition of new skills. They both set about to achieve these goals by means of knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer. However, both disciplines suffer from poor reputations due to low success rates – sometimes perceived, but often real. In particular, e-Learning has failed to live up to the promise it was said to show when it emerged as the successor to Computer-Based …

A Stress-Strain Model For A Two-Phase Ultrafine-Grained Aluminum Alloy, P. S. De, J. Q. Su, R. S. Mishra

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Two-phase ultrafine-grained (UFG) aluminum alloys with different precipitate and low-angle boundary distributions were examined for their monotonic stress-strain behavior. Precipitates in combination with low-angle grain boundaries were found to determine the deformation micro mechanism. It is proposed that thermally activated vacancy movement plays a central role in this regard. the experimental stress-strain curves matched well with the trend predicted by a modified Blum-Zheng model based on vacancy-assisted dislocation annihilation mechanism. © 2010 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Applications Of Electronic Structure Theory To Problems In Unimolecular Dissociation And Inorganic And Biochemical Systems, Jia Zhou

Wayne State University Dissertations

In this dissertation, ab initio classical trajectory calculations have been carried out to study the dissociation of acetone radical cation, pentane-2,4-dione radical cation, and 1,3-cyclobutanedione radical cation. For acetone radical cation and pentane-2,4-dione radical cation, MP2 with bond additivity corrections generates a better potential energy surface at low cost and is thus used for molecular dynamics calculations. The dissociation of acetone radical cation is found to favor the loss of the newly formed methyl group in agreement with the experiments. The branching ratios of methyl loss were also calculated with different amount of excess energy and of specific mode excitation. …

Nonresident Fathers Parenting And Child And Adolescent Development, Hema Oshoone Mason

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

NONRESIDENT FATHERS PARENTING AND CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT

by

HEMA OSHOONE MASON

August 2011

Advisor: Dr. Douglas Barnett

Major: Psychology

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy, Psychology (Cognitive, Developmental and Social Psychology)

This study investigated the statistical relations between nonresident father involvement and various child outcomes over time. Specifically, the present study examined specific aspects of nonresident father involvement that included (a) paternal warmth, (b) emotional closeness, and (c) involvement in school related activities. The particular child outcomes under investigation included positive behaviors including self-esteem, social competence and self-control. The problem behaviors that were examined were child externalizing behaviors (e.g., aggression, …

The Core Collapse Supernova Rate In The Sdss-Ii Supernova Survey, Matthew Frederick Taylor

Wayne State University Dissertations

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey II Supernova Survey (SDSS-II SN), though designed as a type Ia supernova search for cosmology, also discovered a large sample of core collapse supernovae (CCSN). I use the SDSS-II SN data to measure the volumetric CCSN rate in the redshift range (0.03 < z < 0.09), finding a volume-averaged rate of 0.98±0.18 ×10⊃−4⊃h⊂70⊂⊃3⊃yr⊃−1⊃Mpc⊃−3⊃. The CCSN luminosity function is also extracted from the data, and its implications on the cosmic star formation history are considered.

Secondary Physical Educators' Content Negotiations, Matthew Daniel Ferry

Wayne State University Dissertations

In light of growing concern over the relation between physical inactivity and a variety of biomedical and psychosocial conditions and the disjuncture between larger physical activity culture and secondary school physical education curriculum, the purpose of this study was to examine how middle school physical education teachers negotiated content and curricular decisions. A variety of theories guided this study, including Bourdieu's theories of habitus and field (1977), teacher socialization theory (Lawson, 1983; 1988), teacher ideology (Apple, 2004), teacher emotion (Hargreaves, 1998; McCaughtry, 2004), curriculum as a political text (Pinar, Reynolds, Slattery, & Taubman, 2004), and range of critical and post-structural …

Use Of Bio-Ethanol And Bio-Diesel The Key Solution For A More Sustainable Road Transport, Alberto Boretti

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of alternative transportation fuels clearly shows the advantages of reducing the use of nonrenewable fossil fuels vs. renewable biologic novel fuels to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide. Being based on the natural recycle of carbon dioxide through the use of renewable energy sources, use of these renewable fuels does not imply depletion of natural resources and is therefore sustainable in the long term. Renewable fuels and advanced internal combustion engines and powertrains are the technologies that in addition to be the most likely to produce benefits in term of carbon balance and fossil fuel saving, …

Advanced Information Processing Technologies And Police Discretion, Kevin Wayne Howard

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This research seeks to evaluate the influence of advanced information processing technologies on police discretion. I have developed three propositions. First, advanced information processing technologies used in municipal law enforcement enable policing managers to easily collect and analyze large amounts of information. Second, the information acquired from these same technologies is used to create and/or modify bureaucratic rules regarding police work. Third, this combination of technological and bureaucratic processes has led to a reduction of patrol officers' discretion. Advanced information processing technologies include crime mapping, video surveillance, mobile data terminals (in-car computers), global positioning systems, and computer statistics (Compstat), a …

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: Knowledge And Personal Experience Among Dentists In Udaipur, India, Karanprakash Singh, Nagesh Bhat, Nagrajappa Ramesh, Archana Sharda, Kailash Asawa, Anil Agrawal, Harshvardhan Chaudhary

Journal of Dental Sciences

Abstract Background/purpose The present study was undertaken to assess the knowledge and personal experience with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) among dentists in Udaipur, India. Material and methods In a cross-sectional study, 241 dentists (113 males and 128 females) consisting 190 faculty dental practitioners of two colleges along with 51 local dental practitioners were surveyed using a self-administered, structured questionnaire pre-tested through a pilot survey. The frequency, percentage of distribution, and mean rank were calculated. Kruskal–Wallis and Wilcoxon signed-rank nonparametric tests were used to test for significance. Results In this study, 75.9% of dentists had received information about basic CPR but only …

Effects Of Individual Factors And The Training Process Of The Shade-Matching Ability Of Dental Students, Nuray Capa, Ozlem Malkondu, Ender Kazazoglu, Senih Calikkocaoglu

Journal of Dental Sciences

Abstract Background/purpose In this study, we evaluated the ability of dental students to correctly match tooth shades and examined the influence of clinical practice years, gender, eye color, and the use of eye glasses or contact lenses on the ability to match tooth shades. Materials and methods In total, 244 dental students (138 females and 106 males, with a mean age of 22 years) in their 1st to 5th years of education were included in the study. Students were asked to match the color of artificial teeth (Vitapan acrylic denture teeth) using the Vita Toothguide 3D-Master. Three predefined test colors …

Asia Pacific Perspectives Vol. 10 No. 1, May 2011, University Of San Francisco, University Of San Francisco

Asia Pacific Perspectives

Contents:

Editor's Introduction by John K. Nelson

The Contemporary Global Political and Economic Context for Interreligious Dialogue Including China and India by Eric Hanson

The recent political and economic advances of China and India, and their changing relationships to each other and to the rest of the world, constitute the most crucial long term national adjustments necessary in the current international system. The differences among religions of the book, religions of meditative experience, and religions of public life make it extremely difficult to use any understanding of religion in itself as the focal piece for such dialogue. Religion and Politics …

Monitoring And Improving The Effectiveness Of Quality Control And Quality Assurance In Road Construction At Al-Ain Municipality, Mohammed Muftah Sultan Al Aryani

Theses

A good roads network has an important bearing on the economic growth of the country. Construction of quality roads, which is considered a primary objective of any highway agencies and contractors, requires concerted efforts on many fronts. Over the past several years, agencies have been working with the construction industry to implement Quality Assurance/Quality Control activities (QA/QC) in an effort to improve the quality of highway construction. They are used as a mean to describe the materials, workmanship, and other general requirements for the project that the highway agencies expect from the contractors. Good specifications should be easy to understand …

Issues And Guidelines In Modeling Decomposition Of Minimum Participation In Entity-Relationship Diagrams, Cecil Eng Huang Chua, Veda C. Storey

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

The entity-relationship model has long been employed for conceptual modeling of databases. Methodologies and heuristics have been developed, both for effective modeling and for translating entity-relationship models into relational models. One aspect of modeling that is often overlooked in design methodologies is the use of optional versus mandatory participation (i.e., minimum participation) on the development of relational databases. This tutorial complements existing instructional material on database design by analyzing the syntactic implications of minimum participation in binary, unary, and n-ary relationship sets and for the special case where the E-R diagram depicts a database where 3NF is not in BCNF. …

Pervasive Innovation: Taking Innovation Throughout The Organization, Bonnie Bachman, Stephen O. Bozzone

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

One of the fundamental tenets of management is that human capital can provide an essential competitive advantage for a business. Pervasive innovation (PI) is a process that blends strategy, structure, process, and culture to elevate product development to new heights and can provide a critical advantage. PI also encompasses new paradigms, practices, methods, and applications that support an environment of creativity and innovation that cuts across organization boundaries, both internal and external boundaries. Pervasive innovation guides the team through the ideation stage to implementation by leveraging the greater collective knowledge of the entire organization. This collaborative approach ensures that the …

Conference Marketing Research For Rolla, Missouri Chamber Of Commerce, Rebecca Mcnally, Bonnie Bachman

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper is used to give recommendations to the Chamber of Commerce in Rolla, Missouri to help them to better attract conferences and events. A survey given to event planners was the main method used for analyzing what Rolla needs to change to gain more of a name as a conference destination. Although this paper is specific to Rolla, Missouri, the methods used can be imitated for any rural town wishing to attract more conferences.

How Journalism Became A Profession, Michael Foley

Books/Book chapters

Newspaper developed in Ireland as a political press, with each publication clearly identified with particular political groupings. However, for reasons of economics journalism itself developed a professional paradign, that stressed impartiality, so allowing journalists to move from publication to publication regardless of the politics or religion of the journalist. Newspapers and journalists also helped develop a civil society that contributed to the eventual democratic nature of the Irish state, following independence.

Pay Attention: Children’S Understanding, Experience And Attitudes To Having A Say In Their Everyday Lives, Aileen Murphy

Dissertations

Paying attention to children’s participation rights has gained momentum during the late 20th century. The study explored the views and experiences of children between 10 and 12 years in relation to ‘children having a voice in matters that affect them and their views will be given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity’ 10 years on from the National Children’s Strategy (NCS, 2000). Focus groups were employed to carry out the research. Children in the study demonstrated a limited understanding of the concept of rights. Children in this study provided a clear message that they wish to have …

Cultural Perspectives On Globalisation And Ireland, Eamon Maher

Books

In the space of a few short decades, Ireland has become one of the most globalised societies in the Western world. The full ramifications of this transformation for traditional Irish communities, religious practice, economic activity, as well as literature and the arts, are as yet unknown. What is known is that Ireland’s largely unthinking embrace of globalisation has at times had negative consequences. Unlike some other European countries, Ireland has eagerly and sometimes recklessly grasped the opportunities for material advancement afforded by the global project.

This collection of essays, largely the fruit of two workshops organised under the auspices of …

Spectacles, Molly Agnew

Theses

The goal of this paper is to outline the production of the film "Spectacles" from inspiration to completion. Also included in this paper are supplementary materials in order to further illustrate the processes used and decisions made during production. "Spectacles" explores the importance of free play and imagination in a child's life. The film takes place in a domestic environment. The story unfolds from multiple viewpoints: the viewpoint of the protagonist, a little girl named Gigi, the viewpoint of Gigi's mother, and then finally the viewers are given their own viewpoint. These separate perspectives were challenging to establish but were …