Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Books Received And Book Notices, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Book Listing for the Vol 22, No 1 Edition of the Pacific Studies Journal

Exposure To Atmospheric Radon, Daniel J. Steck, R. William Field, Charles F. Lynch

Physics Faculty Publications

We measured radon (²²²Rn) concentrations in Iowa and Minnesota and found that unusually high annual average radon concentrations occur outdoors in portions of central North America. In some areas, outdoor concentrations exceed the national average indoor radon concentration. The general spatial patterns of outdoor radon and indoor radon are similar to the spatial distribution of radon progeny in the soil. Outdoor radon exposure in this region can be a substantial fraction of an individual's total radon exposure and is highly variable across the population. Estimated lifetime effective dose equivalents for the women participants in a radon-related lung cancer …

Customizable And Ontology-Enhanced Medical Information Retrieval Interfaces, Gondy Leroy, K.M. Tolle, Hsinchun Chen

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

This paper describes the development and testing of the Medical Concept Mapper as an aid to providing synonyms and semantically related concepts to improve searching. All terms are related to the userquery and fit into the query context. The system is unique because its five components combine humancreated and computer-generated elements. The Arizona Noun Phraser extracts phrases from natural language user queries. WordNet and the UMLS Metathesaurus provide synonyms. The Arizona Concept Space generates conceptually related terms. Semantic relationships between queries and concepts are established using the UMLS Semantic Net. Two user studies conducted to evaluate the system are described.

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 41 Number 3, Winter 1999, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

8 - NOT WITH MY DAUGHTER, YOU DON'T! By Susan Fry. An SCU psychologist explores the correlation between dating and self-esteem for adolescent girls.

12 - COMMON GROUND FOUND By Tamara Straus. SCU has a new partner: the Smithsonian Center for Mate rials Research and Education. Together they are pursuing what a top-notch 21st-century education will require.

16 - THE NEW VOICES OF SANTA CLARA By Nichole Pichel, Miguel Legarreta, Charlene Abalos, Audrey Bilczo, and Jennifer Farris. Five incoming students share their experience of building values in a world of uneven prosperity, opportunity, and choice.

An Endophytic Fungus As A Source Of New Antifungal Compounds, Lisa Marie Jungbauer

Honors Theses, 1963-2015

Medical advances in society such as organ transplants, prolonged chemotherapy, and those that lengthen the lives of AIDS patients and the elderly increase the number of immunocompromised individuals(1). When the immune system is compromised, opportunistic fungi can flourish and become fatal. Current antifungal treatments are limited and often toxic(2,3). In addition, strains of fungi resistant to available antifungals are emerging(4,5). Fungi were selected as the source of potential new antifungal agents because fungal antagonism has been reported in most fungal ecosystems(6). Endophytic fungi, which inhabit the spaces between plant cells, are known producers of natural products and that assist plants …

A Review Of The Anticoagulant Pesticide Pindone, Laurie E. Twigg, Tim J. Lowe, Gary R. Martin, Garry S. Gray

Books & book chapters

A review of the use of pindone for rabbit control in Western Australia is timely due to increased public concern over the use of this toxin, and because non-target deaths of some native Australian animals have been known to occur following its use. Pindone is one of the first generation indandione anticoagulant rodenticides which were developed in the late 1940' s. The toxicity of anticoagulants arises from their inhibition of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors in the blood. Thus therapeutic administration of vitamin K provides a reliable antidote against anticoagulant poisoning. Pindone is slow acting and works best with repeated small …

Web Browser Implements Unobtrusive Randomized Comparisons Of Instruction In Health Informatics Classroom, Craig W. Johnson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Molecular Composition Of The Louse Sheath, Craig N. Burkhart, B Artur Stankiewicz, Irene Pchalek, Michael A. Kruge, Craig G. Burkhart

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Flash pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry was used to assess the chemical composition of the head louse's nit sheath. The pyrolyzate of the female insect's secretions, which form a cement-like cylinder holding the egg onto the hair, is dominated by amino acid derivatives and fatty acids. No chitin-specific compounds were detected in the sheath. These results, contrary to previous reports, show that the polymeric complex of the sheath is composed of proteinaceous moieties, possibly cross-linked to aliphatic components. This study constitutes the first chemical characterization of the pyrolysis products of insect (louse) glue and unequivocally confirms that louse sheaths are not chitinous, …

Field Sampling And Necropsy Examination Of Fish, A. S. Kane, A. Baya, R. Reimschuessel, K. M. St. Pé, C. A. Poukish, C. P. Driscoll

Virginia Journal of Science

This paper presents an overview of observational and fish sampling tech­niques for investigating fish lesions, morbidity and mortality. These sam­pling techniques and investigations are much like detective work and require attention to detail, common sense, technical proficiency and experience. To solve the mystery of a fish kill, the investigator must use available evidence and clues to piece together a series of events that often have long since passed. The cause of these field events may be chemical, biological or physical; more often, it is some combination of these. An initial categorization approach may be used to reduce the great number …

Body Weight And Mortality Among Adults Who Never Smoked, Pramil N. Singh

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Most prospective studies identify an increased mortality risk for adults of high body mass index (> 27 kg/m²) that is commonly attributed to the effects of excess body fat, and also identify an increased mortality risk for adults of low body mass index (< 21 kg/m²), an association that, if causal among healthy adults, is without adequate pathophysiologic support.

In this dissertation, I have conducted three studies that continue the investigation of adiposity in relation to mortality among never-smoking adults of the California Seventh-day Adventist population. Among never-smoking adults of the Adventist Mortality Study (1960-1985), the relation between …

Designing An Analytic Deliberative Process For Environmental Health Policy Making In The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex, Seth Tuler, Thomas Webler

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Using a National Research Council Report as a centerpiece, Drs. Tuler and Webler evaluate the effectiveness of a conceptual approach to risk policy-making.

Benchmarking Financial Operations Using The Premier Operations Outlook Database, Margaret M. Thompson

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

Acute-care hospitals have come under increased pressure to reduce costs while increasing the quality of providing care. Historically, increasing costs of providing care has had the greatest impact on the reduction of operating margins necessary to expand capital and for repayment of debt. Facilities can benchmark internal historical data to identify areas where costs have increased and are able to explain the factors that contribute to the increases. One of the challenges facing hospitals in their efforts to reduce operating costs is how, what, and where, do they obtain comparative data to benchmark the cost of operating medical facility to …

Optimisation Studies In A Batch Pharmaceutical Company, Sarah Fitzgerald

Theses

This thesis outlines a collaborative project between industry and academia based on a short term research contract.

In the past in Eli Lilly, process optimisation in a multi-purpose, modular building had been mainly confined to equipment commissioning and new product development. It was necessary to embark upon an exercise to develop an optimisation programme m order to meet the increased requirements and demands of the building. Increased market demands, through the introduction of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, and the demand for cycle time reduction through the expiry of existing patents, made the need for optimisation inevitable.

The purpose of this thesis …

Characterisation And Optimisation Of Gypsum Crystallization, Catherine H. Shannon

Theses

Gypsum is produced as a by-product during the citric acid production process at ADM Ringaskiddy. The particle size and filterability of the gypsum has a critical bearing on the overall citric acid production rate. Prior to August 1996, research in the area of gypsum crystal optimisation at ADM had concentrated on the application of vortex mixing to perform the gypsum formation reaction. While the gypsum crystals produced with vortex mixing were found to be desirably clear of microcrystalline gypsum, the crystals were considerably smaller and more difficult to filter and wash. This research project sought to retain the advantages conferred …

The Atomic Force Microscope In The Elucidation Of Leukocyte Abnormality, Derbrenn O'Connor

Theses

The aim of this project was to investigate the novel use of the atomic force microscope (AFM) as a technique in the elucidation of leukocyte abnormality. To this end, comparative AFM imaging and elasticity studies were performed on normal and myeloid leukaemic leukocytes.

Initially, an evaluation of techniques for the isolation of specific leukocyte (e.g. lymphocytes, granulocytes, etc.) populations from whole blood or leukocyte concentrates, was carried out. It was found that a silanised glass surface failed to select and immobilise a leukocyte population. However, centrifugation of whole blood in an Isopaque-ficoll gradient solution yielded a viable mixed leukocyte population …

Affinity Chromatography: A Review Of Clinical Applications, David S. Hage

David Hage Publications

Affinity chromatography is a type of liquid chromatography that makes use of biological-like interactions for the separation and specific analysis of sample components. This review describes the basic principles of affinity chromatography and examines its use in the testing of clinical samples, with an emphasis on HPLCbased methods. Some traditional applications of this approach include the use of boronate, lectin, protein A or protein G, and immunoaffinity supports for the direct quantification of solutes. Newer techniques that use antibody-based columns for on- or off-line sample extraction are examined in detail, as are methods that use affinity chromatography in combination with …

Aneuploidy Frequencies In Semen Fractions From Ten Oligoasthenoteratozoospermic Patients Donating Sperm For Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection, Jerome Pfeffer, Myung-Geol Pang, Stanton F. Hoegerman, Christopher J. Osgood, M. W. Stacey, Jacob Mayer, Sergio Oehninger, William G. Kearns

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Objective: To determine aneuploidy frequencies in pellet and swim-up semen fractions from 10 infertile men with severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) who were donating sperm for intracytoplasmic sperm injection and to determine whether the swim-up isolation method would successfully separate aneuploid from haploid sperm.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Infertility clinic and molecular genetics laboratory.

Patient(s): Ten patients with severe OAT.

Intervention(s): Cytogenetic analyses by fluorescence in situ hybridization to determine aneuploidy frequencies for chromosomes 1, 13, 18, 21, X, and Y in sperm from swim-up and pellet fractions.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Gametic aneuploidy was scored in sperm fractions separated by the swim-up …

Decision Analytic Approach To Severe Head Injury Management., Harmanec D., Tze-Yun Leong, Sundaresh S., Poh K., Yeo T., Ng I., Lew T.

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Severe head injury management in the intensive care unit is extremely challenging due to the complex domain, the uncertain intervention efficacies, and the time-critical setting. We adopt a decision analytic approach to automate the management process. We document our experience in building a simplified influence diagram that involves about 3000 numerical parameters. We identify the inherent problems in structuring a model with unclear domain relationships, numerous interacting variables, and real-time multiple inputs. We analyze the effectiveness and limitations of the decision analytic approach and present a set of desiderata for effective knowledge acquisition in this setting. We also propose a …

Intelligent Support Of Gait Analysis, Kathy A. Johnson, Sheldon R. Simon, Philip J. Smith, Jack W. Smith

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Predicting The Risk Of Obesity Using A Bayesian Network, Christopher C. Bunn, Min Du, Keyi Niu, Todd R. Johnson, Walker S. Poston, John P. Foreyt

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

The Association Of Fluid Intake With Total Natural-Cause Mortality, Coronary Heart Disease And Fatal Stroke, Jacqueline Chung Lun Chan

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Hypohydration may be more widespread than realized since it does not always arouse a sense of thirst. When thirst is felt, it is often ignored, or satisfied before euhydration is achieved. There is growing evidence indicating that hypohydration contributes to acute and chronic illnesses, and to rheological factors associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. Therefore the relationship of fluid intake with risk of total natural-cause mortality, CHD and stroke death was examined using data on 34,192 white, non-Hispanic participants in the Adventist Health Study.

Among the 27,342 reporting no CHD, stroke or diabetes at baseline, during six years …

Notes From The Director, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Acknowledgements, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, The Mcnair Team

McNair Scholars Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 40 Number 3, November 1998, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

8 - EARTHBOUND IN TUSCANY By Susan Vogel. Cultivating the soil and restoring a Tuscan farmhouse became regenerative physically and spiritually for SCU English professor Edward Kleinschmidt.

14 - PREMIES By Sue Frey. Kathy (Straus) VandenBerg '66 pioneers a rule-defying path, as she puts tenderness and love above tubes and isolation in caring for premature newborns.

18 - SEA HUNT By Connie Hinckley. SCU SCREEM team members probe the blue-black waters of the Arctic Ocean for historic bounty using high-tech robotics.

26 - THE VILLAGE PEOPLE By Kathleen (Nino) Castello '88. Some 40 years ago a community of ex-GIs and …

Assessing The Accuracy Of A New Diagnostic Test When A Gold Standard Does Not Exist, Todd A. Alonzo, Margaret S. Pepe

UW Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Often the accuracy of a new diagnostic test must be assessed when a perfect gold standard does not exist. Use of an imperfect test biases the accuracy estimates of the new test. This paper reviews existing approaches to this problem including discrepant resolution and latent class analysis. Deficiencies with these approaches are identified. A new approach is proposed that combines the results of several imperfect reference tests to define a better reference standard. We call this the composite reference standard (CRS). Using the CRS, accuracy can be assessed using multistage sampling designs. Maximum likelihood estimates of accuracy and expressions for …

1998 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University, Friends Of The Michael Schwartz Library

Scholars and Artists Bibliographies

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti

Stachybotrys: Is Nevada At Risk?, Terrylynn C. Foley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Stachybotrys chartarum (atra) is a toxigenic fungus that is known to adversely impact the health of animals. Until recently, there have only been a few documented clinical reports linking Stachybotrys chartarum to human health effects. Scientists are increasingly convinced that Stachybotrys and its metabolites are responsible for several adverse health effects experienced by people all over the world, although conclusive proof has yet to be established. All the physical requirements needed for indoor Stachybotrys sporulation and growth is provided through water leaks (plumbing, roof or ceiling), flood events, nutrient sources (cellulose and nitrogen), pH, and temperature(23° - 28°C). Stachybotrys has …

Variability Analysis Of Discrete Cosine Transform Coefficient (Dctc) Features For Speech Processing, Bingjun Dai

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In this research, the variability of Discrete Cosine Transform Coefficient (DCTC) features was investigated. Additionally, a new pitch-synchronous processing method was explored to increase the stability of features and to reduce window effects when compared to the regular method. The noise sources that lead to feature variability were analyzed, and different smoothing methods were tested. It was found that longer frames, frequency warping, time smoothing of the log spectrum, and DCS level time smoothing, all help reduce DCTC variability and increase classification performance. The pitch­ synchronous method was implemented with Matlab. Important processing methods, including pitch period estimation, time­ domain …

Localization Of Sodium, Potassium-Adenosine Triphosphatase In The Cerebral Cortex Of Developing Rats, Maki Ujiie

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Active transport via Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase plays an important role in establishing and maintaining proper ionic gradient across all mammalian cell membranes. A strict regulation of Na⁺, and K⁺ ion levels is especially important in excitable cells such as neurons and myocytes. Inhibition of the enzyme is associated with several pathological conditions and has serious detrimental effects on cerebral cortical cells. Yet the enzyme appears to be limited in amount and distribution in newborn rats. In this study, Na_⁺, K⁺- ATPase expression and distribution in early postnatal rats were studied …