Digital Commons Network^™

Discovering Design Principles For Persuasive Systems: A Grounded Theory And Text Mining Approach, Mohammad Al-Ramahi, Omar F. El-Gayar, Jun Liu

Research & Publications

Persuasive systems aim to change users' behavior and lifestyle. These systems have been gaining popularity with the proliferation of wearable devices and recent advances in information technology. In that regard, recent research aims at identifying system design principles that are specific to persuasive systems. In this article we extend the existing literature by discovering design principles for persuasive systems from a systematic analysis of users feedback from the actual use of persuasive systems. Specifically, we use grounded theory and text mining (topic modeling) to extract design concepts from online user reviews of mobile diabetes applications. Overall, the results extend existing …

Using Semi-Supervised Learning For The Creation Of Medical Systematic Review: An Exploratory Analysis, Prem Timsina, Jun Liu, Omar F. El-Gayar, Yanyan Shang

Research & Publications

In this research, we explore semi-supervised learning based classifiers to identify articles that can be included when creating medical systematic reviews (SRs). Specifically, we perform comparative study of various semi-supervised learning algorithm, and identify the best technique that is suited for SRs creation. We also aim to identify whether semisupervised learning technique with few labeled samples produce meaningful work saving for SRs creation. Through an empirical study, we demonstrate that semi-supervised classifiers are viable for selecting articles for systematic reviews and situations when only a few numbers of training samples are available.

Exploring The Impact Of Analyst Knowledge Of Sociotechnical Concepts On Requirements Questionnaires Quality, Abdullah Hamdi Saleh Wahbeh, Surendra Sarnikar, Omar F. El-Gayar

Research & Publications

Software development is the process of building systems that solve users’ need and satisfy stakeholders’ objectives. Such needs are determined through a requirements elicitation process which is considered an intensive, complex, and difficult by its nature, and the multi-disciplinary nature of it adds to this complexity. Interviews is the major technique to collect requirements, which consists of many phases, including developing a set of questions. Without proper attention to these phases, the system analysts are likely to ‘short-cut’ the requirements elicitation process, which in turn affects the completeness and accuracy of the elicited requirements. Following the design science research methodology, …

Users Acceptance Of Health Behavioral Change Support Systems, Mohammad Al-Ramahi, Insu Park, Jun Liu

Research & Publications

Behavioral Change Support Systems (BCSSs) is a socio-technical information systems with psychological and behavioral outcomes aim to change users’ behavior and lifestyle. The promising outcomes of BCSSs make them especially useful in certain areas such as healthcare, where these systems could be leveraged to motivate people toward healthy behavior and then help them to achieve their goals better. However, health BCSSs cannot help facilitate self-monitoring and self-management or even improve patients’ health outcomes when patients do not accept the technology first. In this article, we extend the existing literature of users’ acceptance of health BCSSs by introducing new variables that …

2016 Weed Science Research Report – Gold Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota and Minnesota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2016. It includes work on sugarbeet and the management of several weeds in North Dakota.

2016 Weed Science Research Report – Green Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2016. It includes work on small grains and the management of several weeds in North Dakota.

2016 Weed Science Research Report – White Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document provides environmental, indexes, abbreviations and collaborators in 2016.

Surgical Intensivist And Global Critical Care: Is There A Role?, Jana B.A. Macleod, Orlando C. Kirton, Linda L. Maerz

Abington Jefferson Health Papers

No abstract provided.

Reconsidering The Remedy Of Gender Quotas, Tracy Thomas

Con Law Center Articles and Publications

When newly-elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked by surprised reporters why he appointed women as fifty percent of his new cabinet, he responded simply, “Because it’s 2015.” Just because. Because it’s time. In fact, he suggested, it is long past time for having to justify including women as one-half of the power structure when women constitute one-half of the population. And it’s time for meaningful change in shared governance by something as pragmatically simple as selecting fifteen women and fifteen men for appointments.

Similarly, it is long past time for justifying the need to reform American institutions that …

The Origins Of Constitutional Gender Equality In The Nineteenth-Century Work Of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Tracy Thomas

Con Law Center Articles and Publications

This introduction to the symposium previews the colloquium held at the Center for Constitutional Law at Akron on the intellectual work of pioneering feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It highlights the talks from scholars in law, history, and women’s studies, published in this symposium issue, that explore Stanton’s philosophical and political work for gender equality in the political, domestic, and religious spheres.

The "Radical Conscience" Of Nineteenth-Century Feminism, Tracy Thomas

Con Law Center Articles and Publications

No abstract provided.

Dégraissage De Pièces Métalliques : Fabrication Et Usinage, Denis Bégin, Michel Gérin, Maximilien Debia

Fiches

No abstract provided.

Fruit Fly Species Composition, Distribution And Host Plants With Emphasis On Vegetable-Infesting Species, Chrysantus M. Tanga, Ivan Rwomushana

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Vegetable crops hold a key position in smallholder agricultural production systems in Africa due to the number of farmers involved, income generation, employment opportunities, and enhancement of food and nutritional security. In many developed countries, demand for vegetables continues to grow due to increased awareness of the nutritional benefits, thereby stimulating increased domestic production and also imports from Africa. However, many pests threaten the productivity of the vegetable sector. Key amongst these are tephritid fruit flies that inflict both direct and indirect losses; alien invasive species are often responsible for severe ecological and economic impacts. The highly invasive and polyphagous …

Plant Resting Site Preferences And Parity Rates Among The Vectors Of Rift Valley Fever In Northeastern Kenya, Samwel O. Arum, Christopher W. Weldon, Benedict Orindi, Caroline Tigoi, Francis Musili, Tobias Landmann, David P. Tchouassi, Hippolyte D. Affognon, Rosemary Sang

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Mosquito lifespan can influence the circulation of disease causing pathogens because it affects the time available for infection and transmission. The life-cycle of mosquitoes is determined by intrinsic and environmental factors, which can include the availability of hosts and suitable resting environments that shelter mosquitoes from extreme temperature and desiccating conditions. This study determined the parity rates (an indirect measure of survival) and plant resting preference of vectors of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in northeastern Kenya. Methods: Resting mosquitoes were trapped during the rainy and the dry season using a Prokopack aspirator from vegetation, whereas general adult populations were …

Impact Of Reduced Tillage And Crop Residue Management On Soil Properties And Crop Yields In A Long-Term Trial In Western Kenya, Jeremiah M. Okeyo, Jay Norton, Saidou Koala, Boaz Waswa, Job Kihara, Andre Bationo

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Sustainable farming practices are required to address the persistent problems of land degradation and declining crop productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Approaches such as reducing tillage and retaining crop residues as mulch are potential entry points for smallholder farmers to move towards sustainability. In this study, we assessed the impact of reduced tillage (RT) compared with conventional tillage (CT), each combined with crop residue reapplication, on soil quality indicators and crop yields under an 8-year trial in western Kenya. Our results indicate that RT combined with crop residue reapplication enhanced soil physical quality through increased macroaggregate (>2000μm) proportions and mean …

Mitochondrial Coding Genome Analysis Of Tropical Root-Knot Nematodes (Meloidogyne) Supports Haplotype Based Diagnostics And Reveals Evidence Of Recent Reticulate Evolution, Toon Janssen, Gerrit Karssen, Myrtle Verhaeven, Danny Coyne, Wim Bert

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The polyphagous parthenogenetic root-knot nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne are considered to be the most significant nematode pest in sub-tropical and tropical agriculture. Despite the crucial need for correct diagnosis, identification of these pathogens remains problematic. The traditionally used diagnostic strategies, including morphometrics, host-range tests, biochemical and molecular techniques, now appear to be unreliable due to the recently-suggested hybrid origin of root-knot nematodes. In order to determine a suitable barcode region for these pathogens nine quickly-evolving mitochondrial coding genes were screened. Resulting haplotype networks revealed closely related lineages indicating a recent speciation, an anthropogenic-aided distribution through agricultural practices, and evidence …

Mosquito Host Choices On Livestock Amplifiers Of Rift Valley Fever Virus In Kenya, David P. Tchouassi, Robinson O.K. Okiro, Rosemary Sang, Lee W. Cohnstaedt, David Scott Mcvey, Baldwyn Torto

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Animal hosts may vary in their attraction and acceptability as components of the host location process for assessing preference, and biting rates of vectors and risk of exposure to pathogens. However, these parameters remain poorly understood for mosquito vectors of the Rift Valley fever (RVF), an arboviral disease, and for a community of mosquitoes. Methods: Using three known livestock amplifiers of RVF virus including sheep, goat and cattle as bait in enclosure traps, we investigated the host-feeding patterns for a community of mosquitoes in Naivasha, an endemic area of Rift Valley fever (RVF), in a longitudinal study for six …

Megastigmus Seed Chalcids (Hymenoptera, Torymidae) Radiated Much More On Angiosperms Than Previously Considered. I- Description Of 8 New Species From Kenya, With A Key To The Females Of Eastern And Southern Africa, Alain Roques, Robert S. Copeland, Laurent Soldati, Olivier Denux, Marie Anne Auger-Rozenberg

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

A survey of seed chalcids from woody plants in Kenya revealed 12 species belonging to the genus Megastigmus Dalman, 1820, and has increased to 16 the number of Megastigmus species presently recorded from the Afrotropical Region, of which at least 13 are seed feeders. A key to female Megastigmus of the Afrotropical Region is provided. Eight new species are described from morphological evidence: M. lanneae Roques & Copeland, M. laventhali Roques & Copeland, M. ozoroae Roques & Copeland, and M. smithi Roques & Copeland in seeds of species of the family Anacardiaceae, M. copelandi Roques & Copeland and M. grewianae …

Active Aggregation Among Sexes In Bean Flower Thrips (Megalurothrips Sjostedti) On Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata), Saliou Niassy, Sunday Ekesi, Nguya K. Maniania, Benedict Orindi, Gerald B. Moritz, Willem J. De Kogel, Sevgan Subramanian

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Male sexual aggregations are a common territorial, mating-related or resource-based, behaviour observed in diverse organisms, including insects such as thrips. The influence of factors such as plant substrate, time of day, and geographic location on aggregation of thrips is uncertain, therefore we monitored the dispersion of male and female bean flower thrips (BFT), Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), on cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (Fabaceae), over three cowpea growth stages and across three cowpea-growing areas of Kenya. Our results indicated that for all the crop growth stages, the density of BFTs varied over the time of day, with higher densities …

20160712: President's Papers, Branch From Original Marshall Beech Tree, 1837-1987, President's Office

Guides to University Archives

These items include materials from the Office of the University President at Marshall University from 1837-1987. Items were received in 2016 and the item in this collection is literally just a branch from the original Marshall Beech Tree that was originally on campus when this institution began its existence.

Nettoyage De Presses : Imprimeries Offset, Denis Bégin, Michel Gérin, Maximilien Debia

Fiches

No abstract provided.

Determination Of Pesticide Residues In Honey: A Preliminary Study From Two Of Africa’S Largest Honey Producers, Janet Irungu, Suresh Raina, Baldwyn Torto

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: The presence of pollutants in honey can influence honey bee colony performance and devalue its use for human consumption. Using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), various clean-up methods were evaluated for efficient determination of multiclass pesticide contaminants in honey. The selected clean-up method was optimized and validated and then applied to perform a preliminary study of commercial honey samples from Africa. Results: The most efficient method was primary-secondary amine (PSA) sorbent which was significantly different from the others (P <0.05; average recovery ~94 %) and was applied to analyze 96 pesticide residues in 28 retail honey samples from Kenya and Ethiopia. From our preliminary data, a total of 17 pesticide residues were detected at ~10-fold below maximum residue limit (MRL) established for food products except for malathion which was detected at almost 2-fold above its acceptable MRL. Conclusions: A highly efficient approach for determining pesticide residues in honey with good recoveries was developed. All residue contaminants were detected at levels well below their acceptable MRLs except malathion suggesting that the retail honey analyzed is safe for human consumption. Although PSA clean-up method was selected as the most efficient for cleaning honey samples, omitting the clean-up step was the most economical approach with potential applicability in the food industry.

Some Key Elements On Entomophagy In Africa: Culture, Gender And Belief, S. Niassy, H. D. Affognon, K. K.M. Fiaboe, K. S. Akutse, C. M. Tanga, S. Ekesi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Edible insects are a natural renewable food resource and, within the context of food security could be one solution for Africa. Although, entomophagy is still being practiced in Africa, there is a degree of rejection in certain milieu due to negative images associated with insects and poor awareness efforts. In order to understand the key elements that govern entomophagy in Africa, we conducted an online survey on edible insects in African countries and documented the importance of insects, cultures and believes associated to their use. We eventually looked at gender participation in entomophagy. Study showed that insect consumption can be …

Integrated Management Of Fruit Flies-Case Studies From Uganda, Brian E. Isabirye, Caroline K. Nankinga, Alex Mayamba, Anne M. Akol, Ivan Rwomushana

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) pose a threat to commercialisation of the horticulture industry in Uganda. They impair the quality and quantity of fruits produced, and limit access to lucrative regional and global markets. Here we explore past and present efforts, and future plans for research and management, of fruit flies in Uganda. Early research geared towards collection and identification of fruit flies recognised the pest status of many species and highlighted the need for establishing sustainable management strategies. Subsequently large-scale research initiatives have substantially increased knowledge on the biology and ecology of fruit flies in Uganda. Based on these studies, …

Volume 40, No. 3

The Weldon Times

A student-run newspaper published at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University.

Editor in Chief: Graeme Maitland

Digital Editor: Jessica Patrick

Editors: Marina Bruggeman, Melanie Gillis, Sarah Walsh

A Different Type Of Lighting Research: A Qualitative Methodology, Kevin Kelly

Articles

As lighting researchers we can learn from our colleagues in the humanities who have progressed Qualitative Research methods to a high level of rigour. We should consider using Qualitative Research Methods more. Such methods allow exploration of complex issues involving human behaviour and facilitate researchers to address difficult to answer questions that otherwise go unanswered. Good quality Qualitative Research can provide rich explanations of what went on in a given situation. Validity and Reliability are considered differently with this type of research methodology. This paper attempts to identify when qualitative research is appropriate, what questions it can answer in lighting …

Using Architecture Design Studio Pedagogies To Enhance Engineering Education, Shannon Chance, John Marshall, Gavin Duffy

Articles

Problem-Based Learning pedagogies that require high levels of inquiry and hands-on engagement can enhance student learning in engineering. Such pedagogies lie at the core of studio-based design education, having been used to teach architects since the Renaissance. Today, design assignments and studio-based learning formats are finding their way into engineering programs, often as part of larger movements to implement Student-Centered, Problem-Based Learning (PBL) pedagogies. This spectrum of pedagogies is mutually supportive, as illustrated in the University of Michigan’s SmartSurfaces course where students majoring in engineering, art and design, and architecture collaborate on wickedly complex and ill-defined design problems. In SmartSurfaces …

Time Series Analysis For A 1/Tb Memory Function And Comparison With The Lyapunov Exponent Using Volatility Scaling, Paddy Walsh, Jonathan Blackledge

Articles

Being able to provide accurate forecasts on the trending behaviour of time series is important in a range of applications involving the real time evolution of signals, most notable in financial time series analysis but control engineering in general. A critical solution for providing high accuracy forecasts is the filtering operation used to identify the position in time at which a trend occurs subject to a time delay factor that is inherent in the filtering strategy used. The paper explores this strategy and presents some example results that provide a quantitative measure of the accuracy used.

A Techno-Economical Appraisal Of A Pv Domestic Plant On A Irish Dwelling, Roberto Sandano

Articles

A comprehensive study of a domestic PV installation is addressed in this paper. A series of economic results are presented for a domestic installation in Ireland.

High Sensitivity Sol-Gel Silica Coated Optical Fiber Sensor For Detection Of Ammonia In Water, Dejun Liu, Wei Han, Arun Mallik, Jinhui Yuan, Chongxiu Yu, Gerald Farrell, Yuliya Semenova, Qiang Wu

Articles

A high sensitivity ammonia sensor based on a tapered small core singlemode fiber (SCSMF) structure for measurement of ammonia concentration in water is reported. Two tapered SCSMF fiber structures with different waist diameters of 23 µm and 13.5 µm are fabricated by using a customized microheater brushing technique. The silica based material prepared by the sol-gel method is used as a coating applied to the surface of the tapered fiber structures. To investigate the influence of the coating thickness on the sensitivity to ammonia in water, silica coatings with different thicknesses (2-pass and 8-pass coatings) are deposited on the surface …