Digital Commons Network^™

Crossing The Water And Keeping The Faith: Haitian Religion In Miami (North American Religions), Terry Rey, Alex Stepick

Alex Stepick

Beginning in the late 1970s and early 1980s, significant numbers of Haitian immigrants began to arrive and settle in Miami. Overcoming some of the most foreboding obstacles ever to face immigrants in America, they, their children, and now their grandchildren, as well as more recently arriving immigrants from Haiti, have diversified socioeconomically. Together, they have made South Florida home to the largest population of native-born Haitians and diasporic Haitians outside of the Caribbean and one of the most significant Caribbean immigrant communities in the world. Religion has played a central role in making all of this happen. Crossing the Water …

Do Political Parties Matter For Turnout? Number Of Parties, Electoral Rules And Local Elections In Brazil And Bolivia, Carew Boulding, David Brown

David C. Brown

Does the number of political parties influence voter turnout in developing democracies? Some scholars argue that large party systems facilitate matching voter preferences with a specific party, increasing turnout. Others argue multiparty systems produce too many alternatives, decreasing turnout. In developing democracies, there is debate over whether these institutions matter at all. We argue that party systems do matter for turnout in developing countries, but the relationship between turnout and the number of political parties is conditional on the electoral formula. Under proportional representation systems, large numbers of parties increase turnout. Under winner take all systems, large numbers of parties …

Penal Culture And Hyperincarceration: The Revival Of The Prison, Alex Steel, Chris Cunneen, David Brown, Eileen Baldry, Melanie Schwartz, Mark Brown

David C. Brown

What are the various forces influencing the role of the prison in late modern societies? What changes have there been in penality and use of the prison over the past 40 years that have led to the re-valorization of the prison? Using penal culture as a conceptual and theoretical vehicle, and Australia as a case study, this book analyses international developments in penality and imprisonment. Authored by some of Australia’s leading penal theorists, the book examines the historical and contemporary influences on the use of the prison, with analyses of colonialism, post colonialism, race, and what they term the ‘penal/colonial …

Open Access And The Institutional Repository, Julia Lovett, Andrée Rathemacher

Julia Lovett

Slides and other materials from a presentation at the conference Querying the Library: Digitization and Its Impact, sponsored by the James P. Adams Library at Rhode Island College. The conference took place on May 31, 2013. A video of the presentation is available at http://digitalcommons.ric.edu/ql/2013/QTL_May31/5/.

Abstract of the presentation reads: "This panel will discuss the efforts to pass a Harvard-style Open Access Policy at URI which will enable faculty authors to retain the rights to their articles even if they subsequently sign away their copyright to a journal."

Open Access At Uri: Exciting Opportunities For Faculty, Researchers, And Grad Students, Julia Lovett, Andrée Rathemacher

Julia Lovett

Slides from a presentation, "Open Access at URI: Exciting Opportunities for Faculty, Researchers, and Grad Students" offered at the University of Rhode Island Libraries on October 8 and October 21, 2013.

"Open Access provides you with the opportunity to increase your readership and your scholarly impact, and also improves your access to scholarly information. The DigitalCommons@URI is part of an international effort to increase access to scholarly articles, theses, and dissertations. Come learn about the benefits of open access for your research and how to comply with URI's Open Access policies."

Part of the University Libraries' Search Savvy Seminar series.

Open Access Policy At The University Of Rhode Island, Julia Lovett, Andrée Rathemacher

Julia Lovett

Materials related to a "Lightning Talk" presentation on the University of Rhode Island Open Access Policy, given at the NETSL Annual Spring Conference in Worcester, MA, April 12, 2013.

Novel Splenic Antigen-Presenting Cells Derive From A Lin-C-Kitlo Progenitor, Pravin Periasamy, Jonathan Tan, Helen O'Neill

Helen O'Neill

No abstract provided.

Adjuvant Concurrent Chemoradiation Using Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy And Simultaneous Integrated Boost For Resected High-Risk Adenocarcinoma Of The Distal Esophagus And Gastro-Esophageal Junction., Brian Yaremko, David Palma, Abigail Erickson, Gregory Pierce, Richard Malthaner, Richard Inculet, Rashid Dar, George Rodrigues, Edward Yu

Richard A. Malthaner

Purpose: Multimodality therapy leads to improved outcomes for adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) over surgery alone. At our institution, adjuvant chemoradiation (chemoRT) using IMRT and SIB is standard of care for resected high-risk disease. In this study, we review our experience with a recent cohort of patients treated in this manner. Methods and materials: We identified 18 patients with resected T3 and/or N1 adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus and GEJ who received adjuvant chemoRT. A large elective volume (PTV1) and a smaller high-risk volume (PTV2) were irradiated simultaneously using IMRT and an SIB technique. All patients …

Adjuvant Concurrent Chemoradiation Using Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy And Simultaneous Integrated Boost For Resected High-Risk Adenocarcinoma Of The Distal Esophagus And Gastro-Esophageal Junction., Brian Yaremko, David Palma, Abigail Erickson, Gregory Pierce, Richard Malthaner, Richard Inculet, Rashid Dar, George Rodrigues, Edward Yu

Richard A. Malthaner

Purpose: Multimodality therapy leads to improved outcomes for adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) over surgery alone. At our institution, adjuvant chemoradiation (chemoRT) using IMRT and SIB is standard of care for resected high-risk disease. In this study, we review our experience with a recent cohort of patients treated in this manner. Methods and materials: We identified 18 patients with resected T3 and/or N1 adenocarcinoma of the distal esophagus and GEJ who received adjuvant chemoRT. A large elective volume (PTV1) and a smaller high-risk volume (PTV2) were irradiated simultaneously using IMRT and an SIB technique. All patients …

Ieee Istas13- People As Sensors: The Social Implications Of Living In A Smart World, Alexander Hayes, Katina Michael, Nick Rheinberger

Alexander Hayes Mr.

What is the technological trajectory of people wearing sensors? What are the benefits, risks and costs? What is the vibe going to be like at ISTAS13 with people like Marvin Minsky and Ray Kurzweil attending? What do you hope to gain from the meeting? Can we foresee a time that all glasses will be embedded with sensors? What are the implications? E.g. in the higher education sector? What about the gathering of evidence by law enforcement? What is point of eye?

Workshop | Body Worn Video Recorders: The Socio-Technical Implications Of Gathering Direct Evidence, Katina Michael, Alexander Hayes

Alexander Hayes Mr.

- From in-car video recording to body-worn video recording

- Exploring available technologies: how do they work, pros and cons

- Storing direct evidence in secure storage: factors to consider

- Citizens “shooting” back with POV tech – what are their rights?

- Crowdsourced sousveillance- harnessing public data for forensic profiling

- Police force policies and practices on the application of new media

Reflections From The Wearable Computing Conference In Toronto, Canada, Nick Rheinberger, Katina Michael, Alexander Hayes

Alexander Hayes Mr.

Could sports men and women who are monitored using wearable computers actually be playing to a global theatre to ensure the upkeep of their performance benchmarks instead of consciously watching and reacting to what is happening in the game they are playing? What are the social implications of heart rate monitors and GPS units now embedded into player clothing? What were some of the reflections from the IEEE ISTAS13 meeting on Wearable Computers in Every Day Life? What were some of the main messages that you walked away with from that conference? What made the greatest impression on us was …

Improving Food Safety Through Self-Regulation: Exploring The Applicability Of The Hazard Analysis And Critical Control Points (Haccp) System To The Spinach And Peanut Industries, A. Bryce Hoflund, Michelle Pautz

Michelle Pautz

Abstract: Recent years have seen a plethora of incidents in the United States that have called attention to food safety, including spinach, peanut, lettuce, and ground beef recalls. Unsurprisingly in the wake of these recalls, the propensity has been to advocate for additional government regulation. This proclivity begs the question, however, is more reform what is needed? The food safety regulatory system in the U.S. is massive and fragmented; are more regulations the answer to ensuring the safety of food? Skeptics may argue that the only way to ensure the food processing industry is kept in line is through rigid …

Cultural Immersion – What Impact Does It Have?, Janie Smith, S Springer, B Murphy, C Wolfe, J Togno, Katrina Bramstedt, Sally Sargeant

Sally Sargeant

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Medical Students’ Learning Outcomes In Australia : Current Practice, Future Possibilities, David Wilkinson, Benedict Canny, Jacob Pearce, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards

Dr Jacob Pearce

All 19 medical schools in Australia examine and assess the performance of their students, but do so largely in isolation from each other. That is, most schools design, develop and deliver their own exams, against their own curriculum and standards, and students pass, fail and are graded with little external moderation or comparison. Accreditation of schools by the Australian Medical Council (AMC) provides some reassurance that assessment practices are appropriate in medical schools. However, very limited data are available for benchmarking performance against any national standard, or between medical schools in Australia. The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration has been designed …

Same Admissions Tools, Different Outcomes : A Critical Perspective On Predictive Validity In Three Undergraduate Medical Schools, Daniel Edwards, Tim Friedman, Jacob Pearce

Dr Jacob Pearce

Admission to medical school is one of the most highly competitive entry points in higher education. Considerable investment is made by universities to develop selection processes that aim to identify the most appropriate candidates for their medical programs. This paper explores data from three undergraduate medical schools to offer a critical perspective of predictive validity in medical admissions. This study examined 650 undergraduate medical students from three Australian universities as they progressed through the initial years of medical school (accounting for approximately 25 per cent of all commencing undergraduate medical students in Australia in 2006 and 2007). Admissions criteria (aptitude …

A Process Flow Based Framework For Nurse Demand Estimation To Address Nurse Shortage., Jomon Paul, Leo Macdonald

Leo MacDonald

The nursing shortage in the United States poses a serious problem to hospitals, given that nurses provide an indispensable service within the healthcare system. This issue is expected to worsen, especially given the aging population of baby-boomers, which includes those that are part of the nurse workforce. This has resulted in a wide variety of problems, including patient safety issues, inability to detect complications, and potential patient mortality rate increases. Nurse shortage implications go beyond healthcare quality, extending to health economics as well. Inaccurate estimates of the nursing resources required to satisfy patient demand in a hospital environment could make …

Making Keywords Work: Connecting Patrons To Resources Through Enhanced Bibliographic Records, Mina Chercourt, Lauren Marshall

Mina Chercourt

Libraries seek methods of maximizing users' discovery of relevant resources. One of these methods is to enhance bibliographic records with tables of contents. Limited previous research has shown a positive correlation between record enhancement and circulation, but the costs for enhancement can vary widely. The authors present their research in which they examined circulation statistics after retrospectively enhancing records for anthologies of literature with low prior circulation. Results indicate that circulation increased for some subject areas, but not others. The authors conclude that this service is of value to our users, and discuss the issues of costs and selection of …

Teaching Threshold Concepts: Practical Plans For Meaningful Instruction In Information Literacy, Gayle Schaub, Hazel Mcclure, Patricia Bravender

Gayle Schaub

With the unique constraints that instruction librarians face in the classroom, we often rely on point-and-click instruction sessions that do not always communicate essential information literacy concepts. This program identifies key threshold and core concepts and correlates them with ACRL information literacy standards. The presenters highlight lesson plans that promote critical thinking and engaged learning and offer an opportunity for participants to collaborate in the creation of a standard-aligned lesson plan.

Underclaiming And Overclaiming, Sachin Pandya, Peter Siegelman

Peter Siegelman

Arguments that we have too much litigation (overclaiming) or too little (underclaiming) cannot be valid without estimating how many of the undecided claims that are brought (actual claims) or not brought (potential claims) have or lack legal merit. We identify the basic conceptual structure of such underclaiming and overclaiming arguments, which entails inferences about the distribution of actual or potential claims by their probability of success on the merits within a claims-processing institution. We then survey the available methods for estimating claim merit.

Paying It Forward...And Backward, Rita Spisak, Eli Arnold, Sandra Barclay, Linda Golian-Lui, Michael Luther

Eli Arnold

Sturgis Library recently started a Mentorship Program concurrently with the hiring of 5 librarians. Paired with veterans, mentees met regularly (as a group & one-on-one) with mentors to get a feel for the culture of the library & advice on librarianship.

Hybrid Agent Based Simulation With Adaptive Learning Of Travel Mode Choices For University Commuters, Nagesh Shukla, Albert Munoz, Jun Ma, Nam Huynh

Albert Munoz

This paper presents a methodology for developing a hybrid agent-based micro-simulation model to capture the impacts of commuter travel mode choices on a University campus transport network. The proposed methodology involves: (i) developing realistic population of commuter agents (students and staff); (ii) assigning activity lists and travel mode choices to agents using machine learning method; and, (iii) traffic micro-simulation of the study area transport network. This furthers the understanding of current transport modal distributions, factors affecting the travel mode choice decisions, and, network performance through a number of hypothetical travel scenarios.

Same Admissions Tools, Different Outcomes : A Critical Perspective On Predictive Validity In Three Undergraduate Medical Schools, Daniel Edwards, Tim Friedman, Jacob Pearce

Dr Tim Friedman

Admission to medical school is one of the most highly competitive entry points in higher education. Considerable investment is made by universities to develop selection processes that aim to identify the most appropriate candidates for their medical programs. This paper explores data from three undergraduate medical schools to offer a critical perspective of predictive validity in medical admissions. This study examined 650 undergraduate medical students from three Australian universities as they progressed through the initial years of medical school (accounting for approximately 25 per cent of all commencing undergraduate medical students in Australia in 2006 and 2007). Admissions criteria (aptitude …

Sufficiency Of The Evidence Does Not Meet Daubert Standards: A Critique Of The Green-Sanders Proposal, Aaron Twerski, Lior Sapir

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Jaaer Back Issues As Of March 2014

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

No abstract provided.

Get In Or Get Out: The Impact Of Financial Liberalization On China's Economic Growth, Licheng Yin

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

After the major system failure in 2008, policy makers have started to question about whether the western financial system is still an optimal choice. Continuing financial liberalization or restricting foreign banks from entering are two choices for the developing world to consider. Thus, it is important to know whether China’s 2006 policy, which liberalizes China’s banking sector, has had a positive impact on its economic growth. The theories and empirical findings in the current literature provide an ambiguous answer to the economic impact of foreign banks’ presence. As such, this paper evaluates China’s 2006 policy on economic growth by using …

Black Hispanic And Black Nonhispanic Breast Cancer Survival Data Analysis With Half-Normal Model Application, Hafiz Mohammad Rafiqullah Khan, Anshul Saxena, Veronica Vera, Faheema Abdool-Ghany, Kemesha Gabbidon, Nancy Perea Perea, Ts Stewart, Venkataraghavan Ramamoorthy Ramamoorthy

USF St. Petersburg campus Faculty Publications

Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. Differences in survival of breast cancer have been noted among racial and ethnic groups, but the reasons for these disparities remain unclear. This study presents the characteristics and the survival curve of two racial and ethnic groups and evaluates the effects of race on survival times by measuring the lifetime data-based half-normal model. Materials and Methods: The distributions among racial and ethnic groups are compared using female breast cancer patients from nine states in the country all taken from the National Cancer Institute’s …

Numerical Modeling Of Infrared Thermography Techniques Via Ansys, Hayder Abdulnabi Thajeel

Masters Theses

"Several inspection techniques have been developed over years. Recently, infrared thermography (IRT) technology has become a widely accepted as a nondestructive inspection (NDI) technique for different fields and various applications as well. Infrared thermography stands as one of the most an attractive and a successful NDI technique that has ability to detect the object's surface/subsurface defects remotely based on observing and measuring the surface's emitted infrared heat radiation by using an infrared camera. The finite element modeling FEM ANSYS was successfully used for the modelling of several IRT techniques; such as Pulsed Thermography (PT) and Lock-in Thermography (LT) that can …

What Are Universities For?, Ian Mcdonald

Journal of Research Initiatives

No abstract provided.

Scaling Impact In The Health Sector, Al Hammond

Journal of Management for Global Sustainability

This essay examines possible routes to achieving significant health improvements in the underserved populations of developing countries. It argues that unconventional strategies, largely outside the health sector as conventionally defined, have the greatest potential to scale sustainably. The essay describes two such strategies—nutrition and safe drinking water. In particular, the essay argues that impact investors focused on social enterprises can best maximize their health impact by looking closely at the strategies described herein.