Digital Commons Network^™

Building Patient Trust In Electronic Health Records, Helen Cripps, Craig Standing

Research outputs 2012

While electronic medical records have the potential to vastly improve a patient’s health care, their introduction also raises new and complex security and privacy issues. The challenge of preserving what patients’ believe as their privacy in the context of the introduction of the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR), into the multi-layered and decentralised Australian health system is discussed. Based on a number of European case studies the paper outlines the institutional measures for privacy and security that have been put in place, and compares them with the current status in Australia. The implementation of the PCEHR has not been …

Biomedical Image Signal Processing For Reflection-Based Imaging, Paul Jansz, Steven Richardson, Graham Wild, Steven Hinckley

Research outputs 2012

Optical coherence tomography (OCT), ultrasound and other reflection based biomedical imaging technologies involve image signal processing that is primarily a filtering, digitizing and summing process so that the tissue cross-section can be visualized. In particular, in OCT, a series of adjacent one dimensional in-vivo axial interferograms (A-scan) are summed to form a two dimensional (B-scan) reflection map or reflectogram. Further graphical combinations can add adjacent B-scan together to form three dimensional C-scans. A physician can make a subjective interpretation and evaluation from the B and/or C-scans that may lead to actions impacting on the patient’s prognosis. More objective information can …

The Application Of A Visual Data Mining Framework To Determine Soil, Climate And Land-Use Relationships, Yunous Vagh

Research outputs 2012

In this research study, the methodology of action research dynamics and a case study was employed in constructing a visual data mining framework for the processing and analysis of geographic land-use data in an agricultural context. The geographic data was made up of a digital elevation model (DEM), soil and land use profiles that were juxtaposed with previously captured climatic data from fixed weather stations in Australia. In this pilot study, monthly rainfall profiles for a selected study area were used to identify areas of soil variability. The rainfall was sampled for the beginning (April) of the rainy season for …

A Theory Of The Mind As A Complex System, Craig Speelman, Kim Kirsner, Stephan Halloy

Research outputs 2012

Five principles of skill acquisition are presented based on a review of research on human learning and expertise. Essentially these principles state that practice leads to faster and more efficient uses of knowledge. This enables faster performance and results in less demand on mental resources. In turn these outcomes enable higher level behaviours to be attempted. Ultimately skills are developed through refinement of many component processes. A theory of the mind is proposed that borrows from theories of complex adaptive systems. In this theory, the mind is conceived of as consisting of agents that compete for resources associated with processing …

Intense Physical Activity Is Associated With Cognitive Performance In The Elderly, Belinda Brown, Jeremiah Peiffer, Hamid Sohrabi, Alinda Mondal, Veer Bala Gupta, Stephanie Rainey-Smith, Kevin Taddei, S Burnham, K Ellis, C Szoeke, C L Masters, D Ames, C Rowe, Ralph Martins

Research outputs 2012

Numerous studies have reported positive impacts of physical activity on cognitive function. However, the majority of these studies have utilised physical activity questionnaires or surveys, thus results may have been influenced by reporting biases. Through the objective measurement of routine levels of physical activity via actigraphy, we report a significant association between intensity, but not volume, of physical activity and cognitive functioning. A cohort of 217 participants (aged 60-89 years) wore an actigraphy unit for 7 consecutive days and underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. The cohort was stratified into tertiles based on physical activity intensity. Compared with individuals in the lowest …

X-Ray Crystallography For The Study Of Nickel And Iron Salicylaldimines, Carla Schmiesing Eribal

Doctoral Dissertations

"X-ray diffraction of single crystals has developed dramatically over the last century by combining fundamental theories of light, diffraction, and statistics to generate the complete, geometric structure of molecules. The quality of the resulting X -ray structure data are reported in R₁ < 5%, wR2 < 12% and a goodness of fit value of one. This technique was applied specifically to the evaluation of the spin crossover (SCO) compound [Fe(salpm)₂]BF₄ʺ0.5EtOH and how the molecule's geometry changed during a two-step thermal LS-HS conversion. The crystal structure was measured at 100,175,225, and 296 K to yield final R₁ values of 0.047, 0.054, 0.051, and 0.058, respectively. The coordination bond lengths show the spin transitions occur between 100-175K at one crystallographically unique Fe and between 175-225K at the other Fe site. No strong long range interactions are found, suggesting a gradual spin transition. Reaction ofNi(Nalkyl-sal)₂ complexes with Ni(N0₃)₂ form either nickel dimeric, [Ni₃(Rsal)(N0₃)(MeOH)]₂ or trinuclear complexes, Ni₃(Rsal)₄(N0₃)₂. The binuclear complexes, with orthogonal bridging ligands, show overall ferromagnetic interactions. The crystal structures for Ni₃(Rsal)₄(N0₃)₂ from methyl to benzyl were solved and indicate no steric restriction on formation for the series. The trinuclear compounds form an isosceles triangle of metal atoms with the isopropyl analog showing an overall antiferromagnetic interaction with J=+11.386 and J23=-13.891. Lastly, xanthene spirolactam derivatives were structurally analyzed to determine binding modes for their selective and sensitive (µM) detection of metals Cr³⁺, Fe³⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺ and the nerve gas mimic, dichlorophosphate"--Abstract, page iii.

Nano-Particles Induced Oxidative Stress In Immortalized Human Brain Endothelial Cells, Xinsheng Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Nanoparticles are engineered structure with at least one dimension of 100 nanometers or less. These materials are increasingly being used for commercial purposes such as catalyst, semiconductor, cosmetics, microelectronic, and drug carrier. However, the toxicological impact of these materials has not yet been studied in detail, thereby limiting their use. In our present study, we use human brain endothelial cell line as a blood-brain barrier (BBB) model to investigate if two kinds of nanoparticles [ 1). Diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) and 2). single wall carbon nanotube (CNT) ] induced oxidative stress in cell model. Our studies showed that DEPs or …

Glycerin Reformation In High Temperature And Pressure Water, Jason W. Picou

Doctoral Dissertations

"The noncatalytic reformation of glycerin in supercritical water was studied in a Haynes 282 tubular reactor. In order to determine which parameters were the most influential, a 2³ experimental matrix was conducted, with temperatures of 500 and 700⁰C, water/glycerin molar ratios of 3:1 and 13:1, and residence times of 30 and 90 seconds, all at a pressure of 24 MPa. It was found that temperature had the largest effect on the two gasification parameters deemed most important, gasification percentage and hydrogen yield. Based on this, the effect of temperature was further investigated by looking at 5⁰C intervals from 500 to …

Dynamic Decision Making Under Uncertainty In Renewable Energy Portfolio Management And Inventory Management, Jianjun Deng

Doctoral Dissertations

"It is challenging and important for a firm to make effective decisions under uncertainties, such as random fluctuations of products prices or demands, etc. This dissertation formulates mathematic models to help decision makers in energy and retail industries make optimal timing and optimal operational decisions when facing uncertain electricity prices and demands. As for energy portfolio management, the optimal entry and dispatch strategies are investigated for an electricity generating firm to introduce a renewable power plant as an alternative method for generating electricity, with or without construction delay. In addition, the abandonment strategies of considering shutting down one of the …

Electrodeposition And Electrochemical Reduction Of Epitaxial Metal Oxide Thin Films And Superlattices, Zhen He

Doctoral Dissertations

"The focus of this dissertation is the electrodeposition and electrochemical reduction of epitaxial metal oxide thin films and superlattices. The electrochemical reduction of metal oxides to metals has been studied for decades as an alternative to pyrometallurgical processes for the metallurgy industry. However, the previous work was conducted on bulk polycrystalline metal oxides. Paper I in this dissertation shows that epitaxial face-centered cubic magnetite (Fe₃O₄) thin films can be electrochemically reduced to epitaxial body-centered cubic iron (Fe) thin films in aqueous solution on single-crystalline Au substrates at room temperature. This technique opens new possibilities to produce special epitaxial metal/metal oxide …

Complex Oxides As Novel Transparent Conductors, Altynbek Murat

Doctoral Dissertations

"Ab-initio density functional approach is employed to investigate the structural, optical, and electronic properties of twelve undoped (non)stoichiometric multicomponent oxides with layered structure RAMO₄ [R³⁺ =In or Sc, A³⁺ =Al or Ga, and M²⁺ - Ca, Cd, Mg, or Zn], as candidates for novel transparent conducting oxides. The compositional complexity of RAMO₄ leads to a wide range of band gaps varying from 2.45eV for InGaCdO₄ to 6.29 eV for ScAlMgO₄. We find that despite the different band gaps in the constituent binary oxides, namely, 2-4 eV in CdO, In₂O₃, or AnO; 5-6 eV for Ga₂O₃ or Sc₂O₃; and 7-9 eV …

Tzinacamoztoc, Possible Use Of A Lava Tube As A Zenithal Observatory Near Cantona Archaeological Site, Puebla, Mexico, Ramón Espinasa-Pereña, Ruth Diamant

KIP Monographs

An artificial structure was discovered under a natural skylight inside Grutas de Tzincacamóztoc, in the vicinity of the archaeological site of Cantona. The structure is made up of piled rocks, defining a pentagonal enclosure with a central mound. Detailed measurements and computer modeling allowed tracing of the sunbeam path projected on the structure and on the cave floor, particularly for dates of astronomical and/or Mesoamerican calendrical importance. This corroborates the possible prehispanic use of this site as a complex and sophisticated gnomon. Se descubrió una estructura artificial bajo un tragaluz natural en las Grutas de Tzinacamóztoc, cerca del sitio argueológico …

Cover, Ornitología Neotropical

Ornitología Neotropical

No abstract provided.

Cover, Ornitología Neotropical

Ornitología Neotropical

No abstract provided.

Cover, Ornitología Neotropical

Ornitología Neotropical

No abstract provided.

Where Is The Best Place To Sit On A Roller Coaster? Forces, Physics, And Fun At Disneyland, Kelsey Lubetich

Scripps Senior Theses

The work presented in this thesis was undertaken to quantitatively determine the best place to sit on a roller coaster. Maximizing the time spent feeling weightless and the highest value of negative Z acceleration were used as criteria for the best seat. Acceleration values were measured on the California Screamin' roller coaster at Disney California Adventure Park using an iPhone and an application to record data from its accelerometers. After analyzing acceleration data, it was determined that the front row had the greatest negative acceleration in the z direction and was therefore the "best place" to sit.

Physiochemical Characteristics Contributing To The Cytotoxicity Of Transition Metal Oxides, Chi-Heng Wu

Masters Theses

"In the past ten years nanotechnology has not only evolved to play a prominent role in our economy but also increased the concern over potential adverse effects caused by nanomaterials to human health and the environment. Nanotoxicity is to understand the nature and origin of the toxicity imposed by nanomaterials. Studies from our laboratory have shown that nanoparticle induces oxidative stress, perturbs calcium homeostasis, alter gene expression, and produces pro-inflammatory responses. We also identified a trend of toxicity: TiO₂ < Cr₂O₃ < Fe₂O₃ < Mn₂O₃ < NiO < ZnO < CuO. We then asked a question: what are physiochemical factors of transition metal nanoparticles that contributed to this increasing cytotoxicity. In this thesis I investigated the correlation between physicochemical properties and toxicity of the transition metal oxides in the 4th Period of the Periodic Table of Elements. Particle size, BET surface area, point of zero charge, metal dissolution, and degree of surface adsorption of transition metal oxide nanoparticles were measured. There were no increasing trends in both particle size and specific surface area. The point of zero charge showed an increasing trend as TiO₂ < Cr₂O₃ < Fe₂O₃ < NiO < CuO = ZnO < Mn₂O₃. The number of available binding sites of nanoparticle showed an increasing trend as Cr₂O₃ > ZnO > CuO > NiO > Fe₂O₃ > Mn₂O₃ > TiO₂. The degree of adsorption on the surface of nanoparticles showed an increasing trend with atomic …

Gray Gas Analysis Of Radiative Preheating Effects On Shock Induced Combustion, Pratibha Raghunandan

Masters Theses

"The use of detonations in combustors has been receiving increased attention in recent times. The presence of shock waves in such combustors invariably poses the existence of two domains that present different physics for the flow processes. The variation of upstream temperature due to radiative heating by the products of combustion was given particular attention in the present study. The modeling of heat transfer across a normal shock wave of negligible thickness was done by considering the reactants and the products of combustion to be in radiative equilibrium with each other. The quantification of emissivity of the products of combustion …

Nitric Oxide Synthase Encapsulation In Liposomes: A Potential Delivery Platform To (Nitric Oxide)-Deficient Targets, Reshani H. Perera, Pubudu M. Peiris, Serban F. Peteu, Mekki Bayachou

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO) is a freely diffusible, gaseous free radical, associated with many physiological and pathological processes: such as neuronal signaling, immune response and inflammatory response. In mammalian organisms, NO is produced from L-arginine in an NADPH-dependent reaction catalyzed by a family of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzymes. Typically, large NO fluctuations in biological systems under/over a critical limit is associated with problems that range from transient dysfunctions to severe chronic disease states. In this regard, we explore the development of a potential delivery and release method of nitric oxide to NO-deficient sites using liposomes as vehicles. Liposomes have already …

Communication Effectiveness And The Emerald Ash Borer Mitigation Campaign, Jonathon Heide

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Environmental risk communication is scrutinized by several research fields including, as Herndl and Brown (1996) show, technical communications. This technical communications thesis rhetorically analyses how large and small government agencies in the State of Minnesota communicate a specific environmental risk: emerald ash borer (EAB). EAB is an insect native to Asia and arrived in Detroit on a cargo ship sometime in the 1990s (Cappaert 2005, 153; Poland 2011, 46). By 2012, it spread to the 15 states and two Canadian provinces (USDA--APHIS 2012). EAB's life cycle will causes tree decline in Minnesota, the state with the most ash (MNDNR 2012). …

Extraction Of Text Objects In Image And Video Documents, Jing Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The popularity of digital image and video is increasing rapidly. To help users navigate libraries of image and video, Content Based Information Retrieval (CBIR) system that can automatically index image and video documents are needed. However, due to the semantic gap between low-level machine descriptors and high-level semantic descriptors, the existing CBIR systems are still far from perfect. Text embedded in multi-media data, as a well-defined model of concepts for humans' communication, contains much semantic information related to the content. This text information can provide a much truer form of content-based access to the image and video documents if it …

Exploring Distributed Leadership Practices And Their Influence On Teaching And Learning In A Kenyan Primary Teachers’ College, Chiuri P. Ndiritu

Master of Education

The concept of distributed leadership has gained prominence in the contemporary educational research and discourse. Distributed leadership practices are seen as a means of enhancing learning and improving educational institutions. However, little has been done to examine the enactment of distributed leadership and its influence on teaching and learning in Kenya. This study explored distributed leadership practices and their influence on teaching and learning in a Public Primary Teachers’ College in Kenya. The study employed a qualitative case study design to seek in depth understanding of distributed leadership practices and how they influence teaching and learning. The study participants included …

Learners’ Experiences And Perceptions Of Learning In A Large English As A Second Language Class, In A Public Secondary School In Kenya., Maua Beatrice Aoka

Master of Education

Large classes are a major concern to teachers, students and all stakeholders of education because they are perceived to undermine the quality of education. This study explores learners’ experiences and perceptions of learning in a large ESL class. The study was conducted in a semi-urban public secondary school with large classes of above sixty students per class. A qualitative case study design was used. Methods of data collection included classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. These were used to gather in depth information on the experiences of learners in a large ESL class. Data was transcribed, …

The Role Of Head Of School In Fostering School-Community Partnership For Enhancement Of Students Academic Performance: A Case Of Community Secondary School, In Tanzania, Sospeter Suleiman Kamunyila

Master of Education

The study aimed at investigating the role of the head of school in fostering school-community for enhancement of students’ academic performance in a community secondary school. The study followed a qualitative approach and a case study design. Thus data was collected through interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis methods. The study involved thirty two participants, including the head of school, two school board members, and two teachers from the school senior management team, eight parents and eight members of students’ government who were purposefully selected. The data was subjected to thematic analysis for further discussion and presentation. The findings …

Smasse Trained Science Teachers’ Address Of Gender Issues In Classrooms, Kamau Esther Wambui

Master of Education

The importance of Science education cannot be overemphasised in today’s world that is increasingly advancing scientifically and technologically. Nonetheless, the absence of women in scientific fields reflects serious gender inequities which emanate from the classroom. This qualitative case study investigated how Strengthening Mathematics and Science in Secondary Schools (SMASSE) trained Science teachers address gender issues in their classrooms. The study was conducted in Kiambu County and engaged two male Science teachers trained in gender issues during a SMASSE training. Twelve students; six girls and six boys in Form four class also participated in the study. Multiple data collection methods, namely, …

An Exploration Of Novice Teachers’ Experiences In Public Secondary Schools, Uganda, Rose Akullo

Master of Education

The experiences during the career entry phase of teaching plays a key role in shaping novice teachers’ practices and identity. The initial year is often filled with challenges as well as positive experiences. This study explored novice teachers’ experiences in public secondary schools in Uganda. A qualitative case study design was used to explore the nature of the novice teachers’ experiences as well as factors that contribute to the successful or challenging transition into the profession that many first year teachers face. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis were used to ascertain novice teachers’ experience in their first year of service …

Salute To Faculty Scholarship 2012, Clark University

Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Homogeneous Besov Spaces On Stratified Lie Groups And Their Wavelet Characterization, Hartmut Fuhr, Azita Mayeli

Publications and Research

We establish wavelet characterizations of homogeneous Besov spaces on stratified Lie groups, bothin terms of continuous and discrete wavelet systems. We first introduce a notion of homogeneous Besov space ̇Bsp,qin terms of a Littlewood-Paley-type decomposition, in analogy to the well-known characterization of the Euclidean case. Such decompositions can be defined via the spectral measure of a suitably chosen sub-Laplacian. We prove that the scale of Besov spaces is independent of the precise choice of Littlewood-Paley decomposition. In particular, different sub-Laplacians yield the same Besov spaces. We then turn to wavelet characterizations, first via continuous wavelet transforms which can be viewed …

Graduate And Undergraduate Catalog, 2012-2013, Eastern Washington University, Washington State Library. Electronic State Publications

Course Catalogs

Eastern Washington University's course catalog for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Water Quality Trading Markets For The Kentucky River Basin: A Point Source Profile, Ronald Childress Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This study assessed the feasibility and suitability of a Water Quality Trading (WQT) program within the Kentucky River Basin (KRB). The study’s focal point was based on five success factors of a WQT program: environmental suitability, geospatial orientation, participant availability, regulatory incentive, and economic incentive. The study utilized these five success factors, geographical characteristics, and Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMR) to assess the feasibility of a WQT program.

The assessment divided the KRB into five eight digit Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUC), North, Middle, and South Fork, Middle Basin, and Lower Basin, to determine regional impacts caused by the nutrient PSs. Individual …