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Agnostic Moralism, Mark Silcox

Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive)

Many otherwise admired authors in the Western tradition (e.g. Plato, Augustine, and Tolstoy) have defended views about the radical dependence of aesthetic value upon morality that are nowadays regarded with deep skepticism. In more recent work on the connection between moral and aesthetic properties, Noël Carroll, Anne Eaton, Berys Gaut, and others have tried to defend relatively moderate varieties of moralism about art, according to which the aesthetic value of ethically significant artworks sometimes overlaps with but might also independently vary from their moral status. Here, I develop an immoderate species of moralism that treats the type of ethical knowledge …

Prospective Comparison Of Point-Of-Care Device And Standard Analyzer For Monitoring Of International Normalized Ratio In Outpatient Oral Anticoagulant Clinic, Bushra Moiz, Ahmed Raheem, Anila Rashid, Muhammad Hasan, Lena Jafri

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Point-of-care testing (POCT) coagulometers are increasingly being used in the hospital setting and patients’ self-testing. We determined the agreement of prothrombin time international normalized ratio (INR) results by POCT coagulometer and laboratory instrument through a comparative analysis and investigated whether the results of POCT coagulometer can reliably be used without being confirmed by standard laboratory analyzer. A total of 200 INR measurements by POCT coagulometer (CoaguChek XS Pro) and laboratory analyzer (Sysmex CS2000i) were compared using Passing-Bablok regression analysis and Bland-Altman plot. Agreement of the INR measurement was further analyzed in relation to dosing decision. The correlation of INR measurements …

On Monetary And Non-Monetary Interventions To Combat Corruption, Ritwik Banerjee, Arnab Mitra

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We study the relative effectiveness of extrinsic monetary disincentives and intrinsic non-monetary disincentives to corruption, using a harassment bribery game. In doing so, we also test the Beckerian prediction that at the same level of expected payoff, a low probability of detection with high fine is a stronger deterrent to corruption than a high probability of detection with low fine. In Experiment 1, two treatments are designed to study the effect of a low probability of detection with high fine and a high probability of detection with low fine, on bribe taking behavior. In Experiment 2, subjects participate in the …

Terahertz Imaging Of Thin Film Layers With Matched Field Processing, Scott Schecklman, Lisa M. Zurk

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Terahertz (THz) time of flight (TOF) tomography systems offer a new measurement modality for non-destructive evaluation (NDE) of the subsurface layers of protective coatings and/or laminated composite materials for industrial, security and biomedical applications. However, for thin film samples, the time-of-flight within a layer is less than the duration of the THz pulse and consequently there is insufficient range resolution for NDE of the sample under test. In this paper, matched field processing (MFP) techniques are applied to thickness estimation in THz TOF tomography applications, and these methods are demonstrated by using measured THz spectra to estimate the the thicknesses …

The New Writs Of Assistance, Ian Samuel

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The providers of network services (and the makers of network devices) know an enormous amount about our lives. Because they do, these network intermediaries are being asked with increasing frequency to assist the government in solving crimes or gathering intelligence. Given how much they know about us, if the government can secure the assistance of these intermediaries, it will enjoy a huge increase in its theoretical capacity for surveillance—the ability to learn, in principle, almost anything about anyone. That has the potential to create serious social harm, even assuming that the government continues to adhere to ordinary democratic norms and …

Social Security Retirement Benefits Timing: A Model For Working Families, Francine J. Lipman, James E. Williamson

Scholarly Works

With more than 61 million individuals receiving Social Security benefits, one out of every four families in America receives monthly cash payments from the Social Security Administration (SSA). These monthly payments directly benefit 48.5 million retired workers, their current and former spouses, 10 million disabled adults, and include more than 3 million children. Several million more children and adults in the increasing number of multi-generational households in America benefit indirectly from Social Security retirement payments.

In addition to the broad reach of monthly Social Security retirement benefits these payments have ensured the financial well-being of millions of American families for …

Climate Change Challenges For Land Conservation: Rethinking Conservation Easements, Strategies, And Tools, W. William Weeks, Jessica Owley, Federico Cheever, Adena R. Rissman, M. Rebecca Shaw, Barton H. Thompson

Articles by Maurer Faculty

Climate change has significant consequences for land conservation. Government agencies and nonprofit land trusts heavily rely on perpetual conservation easements. However, climate change and other dynamic landscape changes raise questions about the effectiveness and adaptability of permanent conservation instruments like conservation easements. Building upon a study of 269 conservation easements and interviews with seventy conservation-easement professionals in six different states, we examine the adaptability of conservation easements to climate change. We outline four potential approaches to enhance conservation outcomes under climate change: (1) shift land-acquisition priorities to account for potential climate-change impacts; (2) consider conservation tools other than perpetual conservation …

Corticosteroid Weaning In Stable Heart Transplant Patients: Guidance By Serum Cortisol Level, David A. Baran, Cheryl Rosenfeld, Mark J. Zucker

Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (Middletown) Publications and Research

Background: Despite earlier studies describing the feasibility of steroid weaning in heart transplant patients, the majority of patients are maintained on steroid therapy for life. We examined a strategy based on a single morning serum cortisol measurement.

Methods: We assigned stable posttransplant patients, who were maintained on tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and corticosteroids, into one of two groups based on a screening morning cortisol level. Patients with a cortisol < 8 micrograms/deciliter were assigned to a "maintenance" group and the others were assigned to the weaning group and steroids were tapered off over 4-6 weeks. Patients were monitored on subsequent office visits for adrenal insufficiency and allograft rejection.

Results: Thirty-one patients were enrolled (6 patients in the maintenance group and 25 in the steroid-weaning group). Mean follow-up was 10.2 ± 4 years for the weaning group and 9.0 ± 4.9 …

Modeling And Simulation Of Inductive-Based Wireless Power Transmission Systems, Mohammad Haerinia

Electrical Engineering Student Publications

This chapter studies an inductive-based wireless power transfer system for low-power applications at short distances. The transferring power system has been modeled, simulated and analyzed via finite element method. A wireless power transfer system includes important parts such as coil, core and driver. In this chapter, the important parts of an inductive power transfer system have been analyzed. Receiving and transmitting printed spiral coils are designed in an optimized procedure. The experimental results were in a good agreement with the simulation results. Moreover, based on the performed modulation and simulation the use of the pot core as the receiving core …

Reason And Agency In Kant And Fichte, Michael Vater

Philosophy Faculty Research and Publications

This paper explores the question of the unity of Transcendental Idealism at the end of Eighteenth Century German philosophy, given that it circulated in different versions, Kant’s Critique [of humans’ rational powers] and Fichte’ System of Science [Wissenschaftslehre]. Both thinkers take the transcendental turn. They base conceptual investigations not on facts or empirical evidence, but on the possibility of a situation; they are idealists since they look inward to the spontaneity of the agent/knower for explanation, not the environment, stimulus, or sensory given. Reason can fathom only what it has constructed.

Do Factors Of Social Comparison Theory Influence School Choice In A Public School Marketplace?, Shawn M. Hannon

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether factors of social comparison theory influence public school choice in Indiana. There were two arms in the study. One arm used three district-level variables (parent Education level, socioeconomic status, and homogeneity of race) associated with social comparison theory (SCT) and five district-level variables (prevalence of advanced courses, rate of perceived safety, graduation rate, passing rate on the state achievement test, and athletic success) associated with traditional measures of school quality (SQ) to address three research questions. Multiple regression analysis was used to predict district transfer-out rates (TOR) and transfer-in rates …

Does Facial Physiognomy In The Context Of Anoccupational Safety And Health Message Predict Outcomes?, Ian Parker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Physiognomy, the practice of looking to another person’s outward facial appearance to unmask the inner character of that person, has had a diverse historical impact within art, medicine, theology, anthropology, law, criminology, political history, psychology, psychiatry, and popular culture, since it was conceptualised in Greece during the 5th and 4th centuries B.C (Physiognomy, 1999-2009, 2009a). Aristotle, the prominent Greek philosopher, penned many chapters on physiognomic properties and touched upon strength/weakness, genius/stupidity, and other trait characteristics and their opposites in so far as such characteristics were associated with facial form (Physiognomy, 2006, 2009b).

In more modern times, facial recognition and evaluation …

Spectrally-Selective Energy-Harvesting Solar Windows For Public Infrastructure Applications, Mikhail Vasiliev, Kamal Alameh, Mohammad Alam

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A study of photovoltaic solar window technologies is reported and it focuses on their structural features, functional materials, system development, and suitability for use in practical field applications including public infrastructures and agricultural installations. Energy generation performance characteristics are summarized and compared to theory-limit predictions. Working examples of pilot-trial solar window-based installations are described. We also report on achieving electric power outputs of about 25 Wp/m2 from clear and transparent large-area glass-based solar windows.

Properties Of Ferrite Garnet (Bi, Lu, Y)3(Fe, Ga)5o12 Thin Film Materials Prepared By Rf Magnetron Sputtering, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Mikhail Vasiliev, Vladimir Belotelov, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This work is devoted to physical vapor deposition synthesis, and characterisation of bismuth and lutetium-substituted ferrite-garnet thin-film materials for magneto-optic (MO) applications. The properties of garnet thin films sputtered using a target of nominal composition type Bi_0.9Lu_1.85Y_0.25Fe_4.0Ga₁O₁₂ are studied. By measuring the optical transmission spectra at room temperature, the optical constants and the accurate film thicknesses can be evaluated using Swanepoel’s envelope method. The refractive index data are found to be matching very closely to these derived from Cauchy’s dispersion formula for the entire spectral range between 300 and …

Coagulation And Electrocoagulation For Co-Treatment Of Stabilized Landfill Leachate And Municipal Wastewater, Mohini Verma, R. Naresh Kumar

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Landfill leachate and municipal wastewater at various ratios (1:20, 1:10, 1:7 and 1:5) were subjected to coagulation and electrocoagulation (EC). Alum was used in conventional coagulation at pH 6 and aluminum plate as electrode was used in EC at a current density of 386 A/m² with 5 cm inter electrode spacing. Treatment efficiency was assessed from removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, ammonia, nitrate and phosphate. At 1:5 ratio of landfill leachate to municipal wastewater, highest COD removal was with 3.8 g/L alum whereas highest turbidity removal was with 3.3 g/L alum during coagulation. …

Intrarater Reliability And Agreement Of The Physioflow Bioimpedance Cardiography Device During Rest, Moderate And High-Intensity Exercise, Nicole Gordon, Chris R. Abbiss, Andrew J. Maiorana, Kieran J. Marston, Jeremiah J. Peiffer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The PhysioFlow bioimpedance cardiography device provides key measures of central systolic and diastolic and peripheral vascular function. Many of these variables have not been assessed for intrarater reliability and agreement during rest, submaximal exercise and high-intensity interval exercise. Twenty healthy adults (age: 26±4 years) completed two identical trials beginning with five minutes of rest followed by two 5-minute submaximal cycling bouts at 50% and 70% of peak power output. Subjects then completed ten 30-second cycling intervals at 90% of peak power output interspersed with 60 s of passive recovery. Bioimpedance cardiography (PhysioFlow; Manatec Biomedical, France) monitored heart rate, stroke volume, …

Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Heusler Materials: Synthesis, Microstructure Characterization And Magnetostructural Properties, Riaz Ahamed Ahamed Khan, Reza Ghomashchi, Zonghan Xie, Lei Chen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

An overview of the processing, characterization and magnetostructural properties of ferromagnetic NiMnX (X = group IIIA-VA elements) Heusler alloys is presented. This type of alloy is multiferroic-exhibits more than one ferroic property-and is hence multifunctional. Examples of how different synthesis procedures influence the magnetostructural characteristics of these alloys are shown. Significant microstructural factors, such as the crystal structure, atomic ordering, volume of unit cell, grain size and others, which have a bearing on the properties, have been reviewed. An overriding factor is the composition which, through its tuning, affects the martensitic and magnetic transitions, the transformation temperatures, microstructures and, consequently, …

President Trump Tweets Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un On Nuclear Weapons: A Comparison With Climate Change, David E. Allen, Michael Mcaleer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A set of 125 tweets about North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un by President Trump from 2013 to 2018 are analysed by means of the data mining technique, sentiment analysis. The intention is to explore the contents and sentiments of the messages contained, the degree to which they differ, and their implications about President Trump's understanding and approach to international diplomacy. The results suggest a predominantly positive emotion in relation to tweets about North Korea, despite the use of questionable nicknames such as "Little Rocket Man". A comparison is made between the tweets on North Korea and climate change, madefrom …

Biometrics Based Privacy-Preserving Authentication And Mobile Template Protection, Wencheng Yang, Jiankun Hu, Song Wang, Qianhong Wu

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Smart mobile devices are playing a more and more important role in our daily life. Cancelable biometrics is a promising mechanism to provide authentication to mobile devices and protect biometric templates by applying a noninvertible transformation to raw biometric data. However, the negative effect of nonlinear distortion will usually degrade the matching performance significantly, which is a nontrivial factor when designing a cancelable template. Moreover, the attacks via record multiplicity (ARM) present a threat to the existing cancelable biometrics, which is still a challenging open issue. To address these problems, in this paper, we propose a new cancelable fingerprint template …

Image Analysis Of Periapical Radiograph For Bone Mineral Density Prediction, Rini Widyaningrum, Sri Lestari, Ferry Jie

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease. Parameter from any bone site in the body has possibility to be developed as a predictor of osteoporosis. The alteration in the mandible trabecular bone is visible in periapical radiographs. The aim of this study was to correlate the area parameter and the integrated density of periapical radiograph with bone mineral density. Image analysis of periapical radiograph i.e. measurement of area parameter and integrated density was done on Region of Interest (ROI) by using canny edge detection method. Result of this study showed that the area parameter has asignificant (α < 0.05) negative correlation with the bone mass density (BMD) of the lumbar spine (r = -0.371) and T-score of the lumbar spine (r = -0.383). The linear regression test showed that the area parameter only can be used to predict T-score of the lumbar spine (F=5.822, α < 0.05). The integrated density showed a significant (α < 0.05) negative correlation with T-score of hip (r = -0.332) and T-score of lumbar spine (r = -0.377). It can be concluded that the area parameter can be used as one of input parameters for computer-aided system of osteoporosis early detection by using periapical radiograph.

Cognitive Impairment And Risk Of All-Cause And Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Over 20-Year Follow-Up: Results From The Blsa, Ji An, Haibin Li, Zhe Tang, Deqiang Zheng, Jin Guo, Yue Liu, Wei Feng, Xia Li, Anxin Wang, Xiangtong Liu, Lixin Tao, Chengbei Hou, Feng Zhang, Xinghua Yang, Qi Gao, Wei Wang, Xiuhua Guo, Yanxia Luo

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background-Cognitive impairment may increase the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. This study examined the association between cognitive function and risk of all-cause and CVD mortality among the elderly in Beijing, China. Methods and Results-A total of 1996 participants aged ≥55 years at baseline were enrolled from the BLSA (Beijing Longitudinal Study of Aging). Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and participants were categorized as:

Children’S Perceptions Of The Importance And Value Of Reading, Margaret K. Merga, Saiyidi Mat Roni

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Fostering children’s engagement in regular recreational reading beyond independent skill acquisition is beneficial to promote continued literacy engagement. Regular recreational reading is associated with both literacy skill acquisition and maintenance across the life span. Children’s perceptions of the importance and value of reading can influence their motivation to read. However, it is not currently known if children continue to perceive the value of reading beyond the period of independent reading skill acquisition. Findings from a sample of 997 older elementary children indicate that some children may not recognise the value of reading beyond independent reading skill acquisition. This is particularly …

An Entropy-Histogram Approach For Image Similarity And Face Recognition, Mohammed Aljanabi, Zahir Hussain, Song F. Lu

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Image similarity and image recognition are modern and rapidly growing technologies because of their wide use in the field of digital image processing. It is possible to recognize the face image of a specific person by finding the similarity between the images of the same person face and this is what we will address in detail in this paper. In this paper, we designed two new measures for image similarity and image recognition simultaneously. The proposed measures are based mainly on a combination of information theory and joint histogram. Information theory has a high capability to predict the relationship between …

Generalized Correlation Measures Of Causality And Forecasts Of The Vix Using Non-Linear Models, David E. Allen, Vince J. Hooper

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper features an analysis of causal relations between the daily VIX, S & P500 and the daily realised volatility (RV) of the S & P500 sampled at 5 min intervals, plus the application of an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model to forecast the future daily value of the VIX. Causal relations are analysed using the recently developed concept of general correlation Zheng et al. and Vinod. The neural network analysis is performed using the Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) approach. The results suggest that causality runs from lagged daily RV and lagged continuously compounded daily return on the …

Within-Fire Patchiness Associated With Prescribed Burning In The Northern Jarrah Forests Of Western Australia, Zigourney Nielsen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

There is growing understanding of the importance of landscape mosaics and heterogeneity for biodiversity outcomes in Western Australia. However, there is limited information on the patchiness (spatial configuration of unburnt and burnt patches which occur at a range of spatial scales) within the perimeter of a single prescribed burn. Of particular concern is the idea that prescribed burning operations, carried out under very restricted weather and environmental conditions, can lead to structural and floristic homogenization of the area within a burn perimeter. This may be evident as reduced post-fire vegetation patchiness. Western Australian Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forests are managed to …

A Framework For Development Of Android Mobile Electronic Prescription Transfer Applications In Compliance With Security Requirements Mandated By The Australian Healthcare Industry, Kyaw Kyaw Htat

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis investigates mobile electronic transfer of prescription (ETP) in compliance with the security requirements mandated by the Australian healthcare industry and proposes a framework for the development of an Android mobile electronic prescription transfer application. Furthermore, and based upon the findings and knowledge from constructing this framework, another framework is also derived for assessing Android mobile ETP applications for their security compliance.

The centralised exchange model-based ETP solution currently used in the Australian healthcare industry is an expensive solution for on-going use. With challenges such as an aging population and the rising burden of chronic disease, the cost of …

Early Childhood Hass Matters: An Investigation Of Early Childhood Staff And Their Transition To The New Western Australian Humanities And Social Sciences Curriculum In 2017, Jane Loxton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Changes to education policies and the creation of new curricula in Western Australia (WA), such as the new WA Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) Curriculum in 2017, may place external pressure on teachers as they transition from existing to new curricula. The aim of this interpretivist study was to investigate the transition to the new WA HASS Curriculum in 2017. The experiences and perspectives of the school leaders and teachers in Pre-primary, Year One and Year Two (PP to Y2) in two Perth metropolitan independent schools was explored. The preparation undertaken by the early childhood teachers and leaders, and the …

Automated Optical Mark Recognition Scoring System For Multiple-Choice Questions, Murtadha Alomran

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Multiple-choice questions are one of the questions commonly used in assessments. It is widely used because this type of examination can be an effective and reliable way to examine the level of student’s knowledge. So far, this type of examination can either be marked by hand or with specialised answer sheets and scanning equipment. There are specialised answer sheets and scanning equipment to mark multiple-choice questions automatically. However, these are expensive, specialised and restrictive answer sheets and optical mark recognition scanners.

This research aims to design and implement a multiple-choice answer sheet and a reliable image processing-based scoring system that …

Optimisation Of Stand-Alone Hybrid Energy Systems For Power And Thermal Loads, Barun Kumar Das

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Stand-alone hybrid energy systems are an attractive option for remote communities without a connection to a main power grid. However, the intermittent nature of solar and other renewable sources adversely affects the reliability with which these systems respond to load demands. Hybridisation, achieved by combining renewables with combustion-based supplementary prime movers, improves the ability to meet electric load requirements. In addition, the waste heat generated from backup Internal Combustion Engines or Micro Gas Turbines can be used to satisfy local heating and cooling loads. As a result, there is an expectation that the overall efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Emissions of …

Organic Chemistry 1, Steelman Library, Ralph N. Salvatore Dr.

Syllabus Repository

No abstract provided.