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EEG Classifier Validation Methods for Neuroprosthetic Hand Development
No full textTo date, many challenges have been reported in the development of neuroprosthetic hands using EEG and neural signals. In this study, we report the results of a literature review on Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology, an investigation of estimation methods using applications in MATLAB, and the results of Electroencephalography (EEG) classification to assist in the development of neural prosthetic hands using biological signals such as EEG. Confusion Matrix was created using Motor Imagery (MI) data as the predictive value, and the average accuracy of more than 90% was obtained for the K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) and decision tree method. The results were evaluated with 5-Cross Validation and discussed with Confusion Matrix. The results suggest that misclassification may occur in multiclass classification with more than two types of directions including bimanual movements, as in this study, because the MI of dominant and non-dominant hands are significantly different
Plasma derived from human umbilical cord blood for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders
No full textA method of treating neurodegenerative diseases using hUCB plasma is presented herein. hUCB plasma attenuated the hyperactive response (Group III) and potentiated the normal response in Group I ALS patients, but did not alter that of the non-responders to PHA (Group II). The elevated activity of caspase 3/7 observed in the MNCs from ALS patients was significantly reduced by hUCB plasma treatment. The ability of hUCB plasma to modulate the mitogen cell response and reduce caspase activity suggest that the use of hUCB plasma alone, or with stem cells, may prove useful as a therapeutic in ALS patients. hUCB plasma was shown to increase therapeutic efficacy of MNCs as well as decrease apoptosis of MNCs. The cytokine profile of hUCB plasma supports its usefulness as a sole therapeutic as well as an additive to MNCs
Geomembranes and methods for making and using the same
No full textDescribed herein are geomembranes with improved chemical, physical, and mechanical properties. In one aspect, the geomembrane includes polyethylene, a phenolic antioxidant, a phosphite antioxidant, a hindered amine light stabilizer, and carbon black. Also described herein are methods for making the geomembranes described herein
Nanoparticles for treatment of posterior segment ocular diseases and conditions
No full textThe present invention concerns nanoparticles useful for treating posterior segment ocular diseases or conditions, such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy; compositions comprising the nanoparticles; methods for producing the nanoparticles; and methods for treating posterior segment ocular diseases or conditions, comprising administering the nanoparticles or compositions to the ocular posterior segment of an afflicted eye
Conductive paste based on nano-hybrid materials
No full textHybrid particles having improved electrical conductivity and thermal and chemical stabilities are disclosed. The hybrid particles are for use in conductive pastes. The hybrid particles include a nanoparticle selected from a graphene-containing material, a dichalcogenide material, a conducting polymer, or a combination thereof encapsulated in a conducting metal. The hybrid particles include a nanoparticle selected from a graphene-containing material, a dichalcogenide material, or a combination thereof encapsulated in a conducting polymer, and optionally further in a conducting metal. Suitable conducting metals include nickel or silver. Suitable conducting polymers include polyaniline, polypyrrole, or polythiophene. Suitable dichalcogenide materials include MoS2 or MoSe2. The hybrid particles can further include a conducting polymer layer on an outer surface of the conducting metal. Methods of making the hybrid particles are also disclosed
Using the Wave Variable Method for a Human-Machine Haptic Interface in the Presence of Time Delay
No full textEven a small amount of time delay in a bilateral teleoperation system will generally degrade the system\u27s performance and cause instability. Consequently, without some form of compensation for time delay, latencies in a teleoperation system would preclude the use of force feedback. Fortunately, there are approaches based on scattering theory and passivity that can compensate for time delay and allow the use of force feedback in teleoperation systems with latencies. In particular, the wave variable method is a passivity- based approach that guarantees stability for any fixed time delay. In this work, the authors take a generalized approach which includes the complete family of scaling matrices. This extended family of scaling matrices is used in an experiment with human subjects and a PHANToM Omni haptic teleoperation system. The experiment will compare the raw data with the users\u27 opinions in order to determine the best set of scaling matrices for the given task
Host Communities: The Foundation of Regenerative Tourism
No full textTourism is a human structure and cannot be equated to natural systems such as farming. While regenerative farming focuses on the health of the natural system starting with the soil, tourism is a human system and must focus on regenerating the human system. This paper argues that the foundation of tourism is the host community. If the host community is vibrant and healthy, dynamic and resilient and has appropriate political systems to manage tourism, tourism will have the social licence and will thrive. Tourism can then have upwardly cascading feedback mechanisms where the host community can restore the natural environment, institutional and political systems, social structures such as schools, and physical infrastructure such as roads, and the community can be empowered and strengthened
Academic Advisors\u27 Perceptions of Implicit Bias in Interactions with Students: An Exploratory Case Study
No full textAcademic advisors are crucial to the success of students who attend higher education institutions (e.g., Himes, 2014; Paul & Fitzpatrick, 2015; Smith, 2005). They guide students to complete their degrees in a timely progression and serve as a contact for students to help increase a sense of belonging on college campuses. Higher education literature presented evidence that suggested academic advisors demonstrate implicit bias while interacting with students they advise (e.g., Bahr, 2008; Grau & Zotos, 2016). Implicit bias may expose academic advisors to errors in judgment and decision making while assisting students. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore academic advisors’ perceptions of implicit bias in interactions with students. Semi-structured interviews illuminated the lived experiences of academic advisors’ prior knowledge about implicit bias and their feelings about it manifesting during their interactions with advising students. Three major themes emerged from the data analysis: 1) participants had prior knowledge and are familiar with the topic of implicit bias; 2) participants believed biased interactions can influence student success; 3) participants’ responses to interview questions displayed implicit attitudes and implicit stereotypes while assisting students. These findings offer insight into meaningful professional development opportunities for academic advisors who are employed at higher education institutions, as well as future research into institutional factors that may contribute to implicit bias in academic advising
English Use in Italian Contexts: A Digital Ethnographic Study of Language Ideological Discourses
No full textLanguage ideologies are systems of beliefs about languages. Naturalized as “common sense,” they are widespread and significantly influence social, discursive, and linguistic practices. Language ideologies are expressed and circulated in a wide range of media formats, including social media, where lay people and experts alike share their opinions and beliefs. One “language problem” they debate about is the use of English in otherwise Italian contexts that is (mostly) deemed unnecessary (referred to as Italenglish). By applying a citizen sociolinguistic lens (Rymes & Leone, 2014), and by adding an ethnographic component to the critical discourse analysis of digital data (Fairclough, 2013), this dissertation contributes to shed light on the multiplicity of language ideologies (Kroskrity, 2010) that are circulated online about Italenglish, exploiting the connectivity and participatory culture that social media afford (Rymes & Leone, 2014). The study explores both linguistic practices and language about language use (Woolard, 2008), produced by groups engaged in the Italenglish debate. To investigate the latter, my dissertation was designed as a longitudinal observation and an in-depth analysis of social interactions on three social media platforms: YouTube comments on a 2015 TED Talk on Italenglish; posts on a Facebook page devoted to defending Italian from Anglicization; and emails to Italians, an online forum in the newspaper Corriere della Sera. To these data analyses, an important ethnographic dimension was added, i.e., interviews with public figures and key individuals from each context: Annamaria Testa, author of the TED Talk, Facebook group moderator Giuseppina Solinas, and Italians moderator Beppe Severgnini. This study joins the relatively limited conversation on language ideologies in digital spaces. It shows that some specific code-mixing practices are condemned more than others, i.e., they are stigmatized more because they seem to index lack of knowledge of English, thus pointing at potential linguistic insecurity. On the one hand, the study also reveals that there are more language ideological similarities than differences between experts and lay people in the online discourse. On the other, it draws attention to the benefit of an ethnographic dimension of language ideological research, since interviews allowed for a more enhanced understanding of experts’ sociolinguistic sophistication. Lastly, this study identifies three language ideologies that are, to the best of my knowledge, unique. These ideologies are: inferiority complex ideology; complaint ideology; and obfuscation ideology. These also tend to co-occur with statements implying linguistic insecurity, which seems characteristic of the digital platform users in this study
A Church of the People: Coptic Church Building and Direction in Central New Jersey
No full textBuilding off Michael Akladios’ work on early Coptic migration and the ad hoc institutionalization of the Coptic Orthodox Church in North America, this dissertation proposes that the construction and direction of Coptic churches in Middlesex County, New Jersey was laity driven, ad hoc, reactive, and dependent on local variables. Additionally, it reveals that the creation of St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church in East Brunswick, New Jersey spurred migration to the Middlesex County area and transformed their small community into a domestic and international Coptic migration center. Unlike previous scholarship that places greater attention on urban Coptic communities and transnational networks, this dissertation provides a localized perspective that examines the Coptic community within an overall trend of U.S. suburban development and migration. From this vantage point, it examines how Coptic communities influenced suburban development and worked with organizations to shape local diversification efforts. It is the goal of this dissertation to portray the Coptic community and their religion as a facet of the American religious landscape instead of a marginalized and insular group struggling to preserve their religion and culture in American society. Although Copts arrived in the U.S. with a strong ethnoreligious background, the emphasis or omission of their Egyptian heritage was heavily influenced by the public and their perceptions of the Coptic community. The eclecticism of immigration narratives and church building initiatives discussed in this dissertation sheds light on the complexity of consolidating our understanding of the early Coptic community in the diaspora into a single absolute narrative. While common tropes are decipherable, a clear understanding of diasporic Coptic communities is only possible through discernment and the quantification of developmental differences