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Examining Ghana's National Health Insurance Act, 2003 (Act 650) To Improve Accessibility Of Artificial Intelligence Therapies And Address Compensation Issues In Cases Of Medical Negligence, George Benneh Mensah, Maad M. Mijwil, Mostafa Abotaleb

Mesopotamian Journal of Computer Science

Objective: Examine Ghana’s National Health Insurance Act (Act 650) to identify coverage gaps limiting artificial intelligence (AI) therapy access and address medical negligence liability issues surrounding automated healthcare systems. Methods: Legal and regulatory analysis of Act 650 were conducted, review of academic literature on global uptake of AI interventions and medical negligence principles were elucidated, examination of case studies implementing pilot AI therapy programs under insurance schemes were considered. Results & Conclusions: Act 650 lacks clear provisions for funding innovative AI treatments with proven efficacy and undefined negligence determination guidelines involving AI systems, contributing to accessibility and accountability issues. Proposed …

Deep Learning Model For Hand Movement Rehabilitation, Reem D. Ismail, Qabas A. Hameed, Mustafa Abdulfattah Habeeb, Yahya Layth Khaleel, Fatimah N. Ameen

Mesopotamian Journal of Computer Science

Electroencephalography (EEG) can control machines for human purposes, especially for disabled people doing rehabilitation exercises or regular tasks. Brain-computer interface (BCI) for Robotic hand uses deep learning to convert (EEG) brain activity into orders for robotic hand allowing users to move their hands right or left by the movement imagining. It could enable paralyzed individuals to perform basic hand movements and help in rehabilitation robots that help stroke patients regain hand function by offering guided exercises based on machine learning interpretations of their movements and intents. Artificial intelligence algorithms, particularly deep learning, classify and recognize patterns and intents implicit brainwaves …

Potato Disease Identification Using Transfer Learning Approaches, Tarza Hasan Abdullah

Mesopotamian Journal of Computer Science

Potato crop is one of the prominent consumed foods by human beings. When potato crops are infected by diseases it affects farmers negatively and to run in a loss. Therefore, early detection of the potato crop disease can play a vital role in minimizing the loss of the farmers. Nowadays, artificial intelligence technologies, more specifically deep learning techniques, provide solutions to many crops disease-related problems. However, training deep learning models requires a high computational power and huge amount of data as they are data hungry models. Also, designing a custom CNN models a difficult task and there are some variations …

Computer Networking And Cloud-Based Learning/Teaching Environment Using Virtual Labs Tools: A Review And Future Aspirations, Mishall Al-Zubaidie, Raad A. Muhajjar, Lauy Abdulwahid Shihabe

Mesopotamian Journal of Computer Science

Physical laboratories for practical classrooms in computer networks can be prohibitively expensive, as well as requiring regular hardware/software upgrades. With Netkit and similar software, network laboratories can be set up in a computer lab, but the setup is complicated and each student still needs their own computer. Thanks to the Cloud-based infrastructure, Netkit is now available in pre-configured Amazon elastic compute Cloud (EC2) instances. This research reviews and introduces educational computer networks. Furthermore, a web interface is used to allow remote access to numerous lab scripts instantiated on the Cloud. This study also describes how to use the Cloud to …

The Relationship Between Participation In A Student Success Course And The Retention Rate And Academic Success Of First-Year Freshmen At A Historically Black University, Madeline Martinez

Dissertations

Problem

Amongst the highest at-risk student populations are minority students (students of color), first-generation college students, students from low-socioeconomic status, students experiencing financial challenges, and those who enter college academically underprepared. Furthermore, studies have found a significant gap in the educational achievement of African Americans in comparison to other peer groups. Closing this achievement gap requires educators to take a closer look at the complex concept of student retention and understand the variables and factors associated with students’ successful outcomes from both an individual and institutional perspective. An in-depth examination of the effectiveness of strategies specifically designed for the retention …

To What Extent Are The United States And Nigeria Able To Balance Economic Growth Against Emission Reduction Goals, Bolu Ayankojo

Political Science & Geography Faculty Publications

The paper examines the link between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions reduction, focusing on the United States and Nigeria. The study addresses the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets that ensure average surface temperatures do not exceed 1.5°C above preindustrial levels and are intended to achieve net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. It examines emission reduction strategies in five common sectors: electricity, transportation, industry, cooking, and building. The United States is ahead of Nigeria in achieving its emissions-reduction goals, but challenges persist in some sectors. The study suggests that economic prosperity can be achieved without relying solely on fossil fuels, but …

Exploring Manifestations Of Pluriform Love In The Leadership Of Christian Early Childhood Communities: A Phenomenological Study 2019-2024 In New Zealand, Sharon Kaye Judge

Dissertations

Problem

This study responds to the need to explore and/or propose models of leadership for Christian early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in New Zealand (NZ). While previous studies identify love and care as a priority there is a need to define and prioritize Biblical understandings of love that may align with the principles of the national ECE framework. The study represents an alternative narrative to the neo-liberal influences which dominate areas of ECEC leadership through the marketization and standardization of children’s services nationally and globally.

Purpose of Study

Many factors contribute to the purpose of this study which …

Cbct Perceptions Of Radiology Leaders In The Midwest Dental Schools: A Qualitative Study, Tenzin Dadul

Dissertations

Problem

The integration of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) in dental education is hindered by a lack of formal training among radiology leaders, insufficient institutional support, and financial constraints. Despite the proven efficacy of CBCT in enhancing diagnostic accuracy and treatment planning, its adoption in pre-doctoral curricula remains limited. This gap in education poses significant challenges for dental graduates, who are increasingly expected to utilize advanced imaging technologies in clinical practice.

Purpose of Study

This qualitative study aimed to explore the perceptions of radiology leaders in Midwest dental schools regarding the integration of CBCT education into pre-doctoral curricula. The objectives …

K-Perm: Personalized Response Generation Using Dynamic Knowledge Retrieval And Persona-Adaptive Queries, Kanak Raj, Kaushik Roy, Vamshi Bonagiri, Priyanshul Govil, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan, Raxit Goswami, Manas Gaur

Publications

Personalizing conversational agents can enhance the quality of conversations and increase user engagement. However, they often lack external knowledge to tend to a user’s persona appropriately. This is particularly crucial for practical applications like mental health support, nutrition planning, culturally sensitive conversations, or reducing toxic behavior in conversational agents. To enhance the relevance and comprehensiveness of personalized responses, we propose using a two-step approach that involves (1) selectively integrating user personas and (2) contextualizing the response with supplementing information from a background knowledge source. We develop K-PERM (Knowledge-guided PErsonalization with Reward Modulation), a dynamic conversational agent that combines these elements. …

Personalized Bayesian Inference For Explainable Healthcare Management And Intervention, Utkarshani Jaimini, Krishnaprasad Thirunaravan, Maninder Kalra, Robin Dawson, Amit Sheth

Publications

Chronic healthcare conditions such as Asthma re- quires constant monitoring and managing of symptoms and their triggers for better quality of life. Each asthma patient reacts very differently to potential triggers. Hence, there is a need to develop a explainable personalized framework for each patient to capture susceptibility to asthma triggers. We developed a personalized knowledge-based probabilistic model to predict asthma exacerbation for different environmental factors utilizing patient generated health data from pediatric asthma patients. Further, the personalized model provides a metric, called Health Coefficient, to quantify the health of a patient for varying environmental factors. We demonstrate the predictive …

Towards Pragmatic Temporal Alignment In Stateful Generative Ai Systems: A Configurable Approach, Kaushik Roy, Yuxn Zi, Amit Sheth

Publications

Temporal alignment in stateful generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems remains an underexplored area, particularly beyond goal-driven approaches in planning. Stateful refers to maintaining a persistent memory or “state” across runs or sessions. This helps with referencing past information to make system outputs more contextual and relevant. This position paper proposes a framework for temporal alignment with several configurable toggles. We present four alignment mechanisms: knowledge graph path-based, neural score-based, vector similarity-based, and sequential process-guided alignment. By offering these interchangeable approaches, we aim to provide a flexible solution adaptable to complex and real-world applications. This paper discusses the potential benefits and …

Proknow: Process Knowledge For Safety Constrained And Explainable Question Generation For Mental Health Diagnostic Assistance In The Age Of Large Language Models, Kaushik Roy, Manas Gaur, Misagh Soltani, Vipula Rawte, Ashwin Allen, Amit P. Sheth

Publications

Current Virtual Mental Health Assistants (VMHAs) primarily offer counseling and suggestive care but do not assist with patient diagnosis due to their lack of training in safety-constrained and specialized clinical process knowledge, referred to as ProKnow. In this work, we define ProKnow as an ordered set of information aligned with evidence-based guidelines or categories of conceptual understanding used by domain experts. We also introduce a new dataset of diagnostic conversations guided by safety constraints and Pro- Know, known as ProKnow-data. We develop a method for natural language question generation (NLG) designed to interactively gather diagnostic information from patients, termed ProKnow-algo. …

A Comprehensive Survey On Rare Event Prediction, Chathurangi Shyalika Jayakody Kankanamalage, Ruwan Wickramarachchi, Amit Sheth

Publications

Rare event prediction involves identifying and forecasting events with a low probability using machine learning (ML) and data analysis. Due to the imbalanced data distributions, where the frequency of common events vastly outweighs that of rare events, it requires using specialized methods within each step of the ML pipeline, i.e., from data processing to algorithms to evaluation protocols. Predicting the occurrences of rare events is important for real-world applications, such as Industry 4.0, and is an active research area in statistics and ML. This paper comprehensively reviews the current approaches for rare event prediction along four dimensions: rare event data, …

Growing South Dakota (Winter 2024), College Of Agriculture, Food And Environmental Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 3 Continuing a Leadership Journey
/="/">[Page] 5 CAFES Leadership Team Grows
/="/">[Page] 7 Award-Winning Faculty & Staff
/="/">[Page] 9 New Endowment Holders Recognized
/="/">[Page] 10 Inaugural Precision Livestock Field School Offered at SDSU Cottonwood Field Station
/="/">[Page] 11 SDSU Celebrates Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine Students [Page] 13 Clay Carlson, SDSU Meat Science Graduate Student Approaches School and Life with Winning Mindset
/="/">[Page] 15 SDSU Alumni has been selected as the Head Coach of the South Dakota State University Livestock Judging Team
/="/">[Page] 16 Livestock Units Promote Hands-On Learning & Premier Research …

Setting The Foundation For A Lifetime Of Oral Health, Samuel Blanchard Dds, Ms

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

In this Children’s Dental Health Month article, the Michigan Academy of Pediatric Dentistry emphasizes the crucial role of relationships and trust in pediatric dentistry. Highlighting the significance of collaborative efforts between dental societies, the commentary discusses the impact of professional connections on patient care. The author shares personal insights on transitioning in their career, underscoring the value of cultivated relationships. The age-1 dental visit is highlighted as a powerful preventive measure to establish rapport and empower parents with oral health knowledge. The article emphasizes the enduring benefits of building connections in promoting lifelong oral health.

Staying Focused On A Moving Target: Coping With Change, North Shetter Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Amid rapid changes in dentistry, this commentary addresses strategies to manage stress and maintain professional balance. Drawing parallels to Moore's Law in technology, the author emphasizes the need for a balanced life, integrating work, play, love, and worship. The concept, rooted in the Pankey Philosophy, aligns with principles from Stephen Covey's Seven Habits. Core skills, including patient relationships, foundational dental practices, periodontal health, occlusion, and perpetual learning, are deemed essential. The article underscores the importance of personal dental health and advocates for study clubs to share, learn, and mentor, fostering a positive professional environment amid evolving technologies and information overload.

The Pacesetter Style Of Leadership, Michelle C. Dziurgot Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

This editorial explores the pacesetter leadership style, likening it to a marathon "rabbit" setting a fast pace. Pacesetters, exemplified by figures like Jack Welch and James Cameron, set ambitious goals, driving themselves and their teams relentlessly. While effective in achieving short-term goals and maximizing team potential, drawbacks include employee stress, lack of feedback, and a "rat race" atmosphere. The author, a self-identified pacesetter with a compassionate approach, emphasizes the importance of balancing high standards with employee well-being for sustained success.

Mda Services: Yes, You Can Recoup Your Dues With Mda-Endorsed Programs, Reva Darling

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

MDA Services Report highlights how being an organized dentistry member can yield significant financial returns through MDA-endorsed products and services. By leveraging just eight of the 32 endorsed offerings, potential savings of $25,659 are achievable. Key endorsed services include Best Card for credit card processing, iCoreConnect for software needs, Quality Dental Plan for in-office dental plans, The Dentists Supply Company (TDSC.com) for supplies, ProSites for website and e-marketing, D-MMEX Easyrefine for precious metal refining, Eagle Associates for regulatory compliance, and Dental Business Specialists for accounting. Members are urged to explore the range of endorsed programs for comprehensive benefits.

Ada Report: Ada Board Discusses Membership, Looks Ahead To 2024, Michele Tulak-Gorecki Dds

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

The ADA Board of Trustees' annual retreat prioritized board development, emphasizing individual strengths and effective communication. Key topics included the Tripartite Membership Model Pilot, a dental school collaboration strategy, and sponsorship for the National Academies of Medicine Oral Health Project. Updates from ADA leaders highlighted initiatives like the Lessons in a Lunchbox program, ADA app improvements, legislative support for young dentists, and workforce solutions. The report concludes with a call to share the ADA story and promote collaboration.

Dentistry And The Law: Know The Facts About Noncompete And Liquidated Damages Agreements, Dan Schulte Jd

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Navigating dental employment agreements involves understanding the enforceability of non-compete and liquidated damages provisions. While these aim to protect the employer's business, courts may scrutinize their reasonability. In Michigan, noncompete terms of two years or less are generally deemed reasonable, and the restricted area must align with the patient base. A $15,000 liquidated damages amount per patient might face challenges, as it should relate reasonably to actual damages. Courts may also consider equitable factors and the employer's adherence to the agreement. Both employers and employees benefit from reasonable restrictions, avoiding potential legal disputes.

Positive Thinking Training Intervention For Nursing Students To Foster Resilience: Assessing Critical Parameters From Students’ Perspectives, Abir K. Bekhet, Karen Nakhla, Denise M. Matel-Anderson, Alexandra Rominger, Hernan Cano, Joshua Scherf, Alexis Dart, Daniel Nakhla

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted not only the physical but also the mental health of the American population. Anxiety and depression have increased three-fold since the pandemic [1]. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2021 survey revealed that approximately 33% of the American population have anxiety symptoms and 28% have depressive symptoms as compared to 11% and 4% of anxiety and depression respectively in 2019 [1]. Also, Research showed that the rate of suicidal ideations during the pandemic is higher than that reported prior to pandemic, suggesting that this may result in higher suicide rates in future [2]. Nursing …

Emphasizing Self-Regulation In Teaching: Reducing Disruption To Students’ Learning During Unplanned Instructional Mode Transition, Somesh Roy, Amber Young-Brice, Jenna Lassila, Brandon Kyle Johnson

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

In Spring 2020, engineering faculty transitioned to emergency remote instruction due to COVID-19. This mixed-methods study was done to understand the correlation between self-regulated learning and how students experienced the emergency transition to remote learning. The participants were from an upper-level engineering course, with 33 students surveyed four times during the semester. Seven students were interviewed after the semester. Findings revealed that during the transition to remote learning, students perceived less change if they had higher degrees of self-regulation. The qualitative analysis also revealed that transparency in learning and teaching also played an important role in students’ perceptions.

Ongoing Laboratory Performance Study On Chemical Analysis Of Hydrophobic And Hydrophilic Compounds In Three Aquatic Passive Samplers, Kees Booij, Steven Crum, Branislav Vrana, Roman Grabic, Nicolas A.O. Morin, Koen Parmentier, Cécile Kech, Petra Krystek, Kazushi Noro, Benjamin Becker, Rainer Lohmann, Laure Malleret, Sarit L. Kaserzon, Cécile Miège, Fabrice Alliot, Fabienne Pfeiffer, Denis Crowley, Magdalena Rakowska, Tomas Ocelka, Gi Beum Kim, Laura Röhler

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The quality of chemical analysis is an important aspect of passive sampling-based environmental assessments. The present study reports on a proficiency testing program for the chemical analysis of hydrophobic organic compounds in silicone and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) passive samplers and hydrophilic compounds in polar organic chemical integrative samplers. The median between-laboratory coefficients of variation (CVs) of hydrophobic compound concentrations in the polymer phase were 33% (silicone) and 38% (LDPE), similar to the CVs obtained in four earlier rounds of this program. The median CV over all rounds was 32%. Much higher variabilities were observed for hydrophilic compound concentrations in the …

Zürich Ii Statement On Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (Pfass): Scientific And Regulatory Needs, Jamie C. Dewitt, Juliane Glüge, Ian T. Cousins, Gretta Goldenman, Dorte Herzke, Rainer Lohmann, Mark Miller, Carla A. Ng, Sharyle Patton, Xenia Trier, Lena Vierke, Zhanyun Wang, Sam Adu-Kumi, Simona Balan, Andreas M. Buser, Tony Fletcher, Line Småstuen Haug, Jun Huang, Sarit Kaserzon, Juliana Leonel, Ishmail Sheriff, Ya-Li Shi, Sara Valsecchi, Martin Scheringer

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a class of synthetic organic chemicals of global concern. A group of 36 scientists and regulators from 18 countries held a hybrid workshop in 2022 in Zürich, Switzerland. The workshop, a sequel to a previous Zürich workshop held in 2017, deliberated on progress in the last five years and discussed further needs for cooperative scientific research and regulatory action on PFASs. This review reflects discussion and insights gained during and after this workshop and summarizes key signs of progress in science and policy, ongoing critical issues to be addressed, and possible ways forward. Some …

Can Informed Consent Solve Ai Bias?, W. Nicholson Price Ii

Reviews

Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving increasingly rapidly into health care (as indeed into everything else). But it has problems there (as indeed everywhere else!). What’s to be done, in particular, about the deeply embedded biases along racial and other lines that permeate the whole world of health and, as such, are likely to be encoded in AI?

Khiara Bridges gives an answer that seems mild but carries roots of revolution. In Race in the Machine: Racial Disparities in Health and Medical AI, she argues that informed consent is a key lever to pull in fighting these racial disparities. But not …

Assessing And Understanding Soil Characteristics​, Amy Papineau

UNH Cooperative Extension

No abstract provided.

Designing A Use-Error Robust Machine Learning Model For Quantitative Analysis Of Diffuse Reflectance Spectra, Allison Scarbrough, Keke Chen, Bing Yu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Significance

Machine learning (ML)-enabled diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is increasingly used as an alternative to the computation-intensive inverse Monte Carlo (MCI) simulation to predict tissue’s optical properties, including the absorption coefficient,μaand reduced scattering coefficient, μs′.

Aim

We aim to develop a use-error-robust ML algorithm for optical property prediction from DRS spectra.

Approach

We developed a wavelength-independent regressor (WIR) to predict optical properties from DRS data. For validation, we generated 1520 simulated DRS spectra with the forward Monte Carlo model, where μa=0.44 to 2.45cm−1, and μs′=6.53 to 9.58cm−1. We introduced common use-errors, such as wavelength miscalibrations and intensity fluctuations. Finally, we …

Documents From The January 31. 2024 Meeting Of The Associated Students Of The University Of Montana (Asum), University Of Montana--Missoula. Associated Students

Senate Meeting Agendas and Minutes, 2007-Present

Agenda and meeting minutes from the January 31, 2024 meeting of the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM).

Documents From The February 28, 2024 Meeting Of The Associated Students Of The University Of Montana (Asum), University Of Montana--Missoula. Associated Students

Senate Meeting Agendas and Minutes, 2007-Present

Agenda and meeting minutes from the February 21, 2024 meeting of the Associated Students of the University of Montana (ASUM).

Horror Stories: Oblivious Women In Luis Puenzo’S La Historia Oficial (1985) And Santiago Mitre’S Argentina 1985 (2022), Stephanie R. Orozco

The Coastal Review

Adriana Cavarero's conceptualization of Medusa serves as a potent metaphor for the subtle redirection of violence of oblivious women who ignored the brutalization of pregnant victims during Argentina’s military dictatorship (1976-83). In Luis Puenzo’s La historia oficial (1985) and Santiago Mitre’s Argentina 1985 (2022), skillfully unveil the ghastly practice of torturing pregnant women, unraveling the vulnerability of both mothers and their infants, evoking a sense of disgust and repugnance that is eventually shared by oblivious women. Beyond mere storytelling, these films challenge prevailing power dynamics and discourses, shedding light on the complicit ignorance of elite women during an era marked …