1,307 research outputs found
Evolution, Science and Faith: Grandeur in an Evolutionary View of Life
No full textIn this lecture, St. Norbert College welcomed Brown University\u27s Kenneth R. Miller to campus for the Spring 2025 Dr. Benjamin T. Chu Distinguished Lecture, “Evolution, Science and Faith: Grandeur in an Evolutionary View of Life .
Miller—renowned biologist, author and advocate for the dialogue between science and religion—shared powerful insights on evolution, human purpose and the intersection of reason and belief
Development of spectroscopic smartphone biosensors for point-of-care applications
No full textThis dissertation explores the combination of two emergent areas within contemporary biosensing, smartphone based spectroscopy and photonic crystal enhanced microscopy, and how these technologies can be combined to produce a fundamentally novel point-of-care testing paradigm: a portable device platform capable of non-amplifying, digital-detection for high-sensitivity diagnostics. In this work, I describe the development of this system, moving from usage-specific benchtop and smartphone based devices demonstrating proof-of-concept capabilities, to a multimodal smartphone platform compatible with thousands of existing spectroscopic assays. The resulting smartphone biosensor can perform various clinically-relevant tests with physiologically-relevant sensitivities. Next, photonic crystal enhanced microscopy is described for uses in the micrometer and nanometer scales for use both to study cellular and subcellular behavior and also to perform single-particle attachment quantification. Finally, this work explores how the single-particle attachment quantification capability can be leveraged to measure HIV viral load using a novel biosensor, designed specifically developed for a smartphone based platform for point of care applications.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2020-05-01The student, Kenneth Long, accepted the attached license on 2018-01-30 at 10:57.The student, Kenneth Long, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2018-01-30 at 11:26.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2018-01-31 at 13:32.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #12025 on 2018-08-31 at 17:24:51Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-04T20:46:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 4
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Previous issue date: 2018-01-31Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 107337
Lift date: 2020-09-04T20:47:38Z
Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemEmbargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 107337
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Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemLimited Restriction Lifted for Item 107337 on 2020-09-05T09:15:29Z
Tensorial green-function theory of atomic-wire T-junction transmission
No full textA tensorial Green-function treatment of the electronic transmission properties of an atomic wire T-junction is presented within the framework of the tight-binding approximation. The adoption of the tensorial formalism enables overlap effects to be included in a straightforward manner, without the need to resort to a change in the Hilbert space. The T-junction structure and the presence of overlap effects both give rise to antiresonances. Although those due to the former are located inside the energy band, the latter appear at the band edges. The transmission is seen to depend in different ways on the bond energy and the overlap between the attached atom and the wire
Vortex organization in a turbulent boundary layer overlying sparse roughness elements
No full textVortex organization in the outer layer of a turbulent boundary layer overlying sparse, hemispherical roughness elements is explored with two-component particle-image velocimetry (PIV) in multiple streamwise-wall-normal measurement planes downstream and between elements. The presence of sparse roughness elements causes a shortening of the streamwise length scale in the near-wall region. These measurements confirm that vortex packets exist in the outer layer of flow over rough walls, but that their organization is altered, and this is interpreted as the underlying cause of the length-scale reduction. In particular, the elements shed vortices which appear to align in the near-wall region, but are distinct from the packets. Further, it is observed that ejection events triggered in the element wakes are more intense compared to the ejection events in smooth wall. We speculate that this may initiate a self-sustaining mechanism leading to the formation of hairpin packets as a much more effective instability compared to those typical of smooth-wall turbulence.This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published as Michele Guala , Christopher D. Tomkins , Kenneth T. Christensen , Ronald J. Adrian. (2012) Vortex organization in a turbulent boundary layer overlying sparse roughness elements, Journal of Hydraulic Research, 50(5), 465-481 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00221686.2012.729229
Copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00221686.2012.72922
Evaluating carbon offsets from forestry and energy projects
No full textUnder the Kyoto Protocol, industrial countries accept caps on their emissions of greenhouse gases. They are permitted to acquire offsetting emissions reductions from developing countries - which do not have emissions limitations - to assist in complying with these caps. Because these emissions reductions are defined against a hypothetical baseline, practical issues arise in ensuring that the reductions are genuine. Forestry-related emissions reduction projects are often thought to present greater difficulties in measurement and implementation, than energy-related emissions reduction projects. The author discusses how project characteristics affect the process for determining compliance with each of the criteria for qualifying. Those criteria are: 1) Additionality. Would these emissions reductions not have taken place without the project? 2) Baseline and systems boundaries (leakage). What would business-as-usual emissions have been without the project? And in this comparison, how broad should spatial, and temporal system boundaries be? 3) Measurement (or sequestration). How accurately can we measure actual with-project emissions levels? 4) Duration or permanence. Will the project have an enduring mitigating effect? 5) Local impact. Will the project benefit its neighbors? For all the criteria except permanence, it is difficult to find generic distinctions between land use change and forestry and energy projects, since both categories comprise diverse project types. The important distinctions among projects have to do with such things as: a) The level and distribution of the project's direct financial benefits. b) How much the project is integrated with the larger system. c) The project components'internal homogeneity and geographic dispersion. d) The local replicability of project technologies. Permanence is an issue specific to land use and forestry projects. The author describes various approaches to ensure permanence, or adjust credits for duration: the ton-year approach (focusing on the benefits from deferring climatic damage, and rewarding longer deferral); the combination approach (bundling current land use change and forestry emissions reductions with future reductions in the buyer's allowed amount); a technology-acceleration approach; and an insurance approach.Montreal Protocol,Environmental Economics&Policies,Climate Change,Decentralization,Global Environment Facility,Environmental Economics&Policies,Energy and Environment,Carbon Policy and Trading,Montreal Protocol,Climate Change
Financial competing interests were associated with favorable conclusions and greater author productivity in nonsystematic reviews of neuraminidase inhibitors
No full textObjective:
To characterize the conclusions and production of nonsystematic reviews about neuraminidase inhibitors relative to financial competing interests held by the authors.
Study Design and Setting:
We searched for articles about neuraminidase inhibitors and influenza (January 2005 to April 2015), identifying nonsystematic reviews and grading them according to the favorable/nonfavorable presentation of evidence on safety and efficacy. We recorded financial competing interests disclosed in the reviews and from other articles written by their authors. We measured associations between competing interests, author productivity, and conclusions.
Results:
Among 213 nonsystematic reviews, 138 (65%) presented favorable conclusions. Financial competing interests were identified for 26% (137/532) of authors; 51% (108/213) of reviews were associated with a financial competing interest. Reviews produced exclusively by authors with financial competing interests (33%; 71/213) were more likely to present favorable conclusions than reviews with no competing interests (risk ratio 1.27; 95% confidence interval 1.03-1.55). Authors with financial competing interests published more articles about neuraminidase inhibitors than their counterparts.
Conclusion:
Half of nonsystematic reviews about neuraminidase inhibitors included an author with a financial competing interest. Reviews produced exclusively by these authors were more likely to present favorable conclusions, and authors with financial competing interests published a greater number of reviews
Periodized versus classic exercise therapy in Multiple Sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial
No full textBackground: Periodizing exercise interventions in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) shows good high intensity exercise training adherence. Whether this approach induces comparable training adaptations with respect to exercise capacity, body composition and muscle strength compared to conventional, linear progressive training programs however is not known. Methods: Thirty-one persons with MS (all phenotypes, mean EDSS 2.3?1.3) were randomized into a twelve-week periodized (MSPER, n=17) or a classic endurance (MSCLA, n=14) training program. At baseline (PRE), exercise capacity (maximal exercise test, VO2max), body composition (DEXA) and muscle strength (Biodex?) were assessed. Classic, moderate intensity endurance training (60-80% HRmax, 5 training sessions/2w, 60min/session) was performed on a stationary bicycle. Periodized exercise included 4 recurrent 3-week cycles of alternated endurance training (week 1: endurance training as described above), high intense exercise (week 2: 3 sessions/w, 3 ? 20s all-out sprints, 10min/session) and recovery weeks (week 3: one sprint session as described above). POST measurements were performed similar to baseline. Total exercise volume of both programs was expressed as total peak-effort training minutes. Results: For MSCLA, total exercise volume included 1728 total peak-effort training minutes, whereas MSPER included only 736. Despite this substantially reduced training volume, twelve weeks of periodized training significantly (p<0.05) improved VO2max (+14%, p=0.001), workload (+20%) and time until exhaustion (+25%). Classic training significantly (p<0.05) improved workload (+10%) and time until exhaustion (+17%), but not VO2max (+5%, p=0.131). Pre-post improvements for VO2max were significantly higher in MSPER compared to MSCLA (p=0.046). Conclusion: These data show that despite substantially lower training time (57% less peak-effort training minutes), 12 weeks of periodized exercise training in persons with MS seems to induce larger improvements in parameters of exercise capacity compared to classic endurance training. We therefore recommend to further investigate the effect of training periodization on various functional rehabilitation measures in MS.Keytsman, C (corresponding author), Hasselt Univ, REVAL Rehabil Ctr, Biomed Res Inst BIOMED, Agoralaan Bldg A, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
[email protected]
Bone matters in lung cancer
No full textBackground: \ud
Bone metastases are a significant and undertreated clinical problem in patients with advanced lung cancer. \ud
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Design: \ud
We reviewed the incidence of bone metastases and skeletal-related events (SREs) in patients with lung cancer and examined the burden on patients' lives and on health care systems. Available therapies to improve survival and lessen the impact of SREs on quality of life (QoL) were also investigated. \ud
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Results: \ud
Bone metastases are common in lung cancer; however, owing to short survival times, data on the incidences of SREs are limited. As with other cancers, the costs associated with treating SREs in lung cancer are substantial. Bisphosphonates reduce the frequency of SREs and improve measures of pain and QoL in patients with lung cancer; however, nephrotoxicity is a common complication of therapy. Denosumab, a recently approved bone-targeted therapy, is superior to zoledronic acid in increasing the time to first on-study SRE in patients with solid tumours, including lung cancer. Additional roles of bone-targeted therapies beyond the prevention of SREs are under investigation. \ud
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Conclusions: \ud
With increasing awareness of the consequences of SREs, bone-targeted therapies may play a greater role in the management of patients with lung cancer, with the aim of delaying disease progression and preserving QoL. © The Author 2012. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology
Adaptive Talent Management for Project Professionals: Early Identification of Future Industry Leaders
No full textabstract: The workforce demographics in the United States are rapidly changing. According to census information, 35% of working adults are project to retire within the next 20 years. The construction is being particularly affected by this demographic shift as fewer employees are entering into the industry. This shift is especially bad among project professionals within the industry. The response to these changing demographics depends on how companies manage their talent and plan for successions. In order to investigate this workforce problem in the construction industry, the author has partnered with an expert panel of human resource executives from various companies in the construction industry. This research seeks to investigate methods in which construction companies can identify high potential project leaders early on in their careers through quantitative methodologies. The author first validated the research problem by gathering demographic data from six U.S. construction companies varying in size and industry expertise. As a result of analyzing information from 2,294 construction employees in the project management career path, the authors have found that 58% of these individuals are projected to retire within the next 12 years. The author also conducted a detailed literature review and six company interviews to investigate current succession planning practices in the industry. The results show that very few companies have contingency plans for early to mid-level employees. Lastly, the author conducted 76 employee psychological evaluations to measure personality and behavior traits. These traits were then compared to supervisory performance reviews of these employees. The results of this comparison suggest that high potential employees tend to showcase previous leadership experience and also tend to be more outspoken and are also able to separate their emotional bias from business decisions. Using these findings, the author provides an interview tool that employers can use to expand their talent pool in order to identify high potential candidates that may have been previously overlooked. The author recommends additional research in further developing the use of quantitative tools to evaluate early-career employees in order to more efficiently align resources within the shrinking talent pool.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Construction 201
Journal in Entirety
No full textTABLE OF CONTENTS
Perfecting One Another: Friendship and the Moral Implications of Wesley\u27s Small Groups Daniel Castelo
Whitefield, Whittier, and the Poetic Bridge to the Issue of Slavery Samuel J. Rogal
Science and Theology in Conversation: Emergence Theories of Consciousness and Entire Sanctification Nathan Crawford
Justification by Faith: Richard Baxter\u27s Influence on John Wesley *Joseph W. Cunningham
A Response to Professor Kenneth Collins William Abraham
Power: Its Origin and Abuse Ruth Anne Reese
The Future of Christianity in China: An Internal Reflection Yalin Xin
A Wesleyan Theology of Governance for Seminaries Kenneth J. Collins
Book Notes Kenneth J. Collins
*The original article was published with the wrong author, Floyd T. Cunningham. Joseph W. Cunningham is the correct author. The Journal and Article has been modified to reflect the correct author
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