3,532 research outputs found

    Information Systems and Health Care X: A User-Driven Approach to Personal Health Records

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    User acceptance issues and user-centered design have long been an important theme in information systems research. In the field of health care information systems, much attention has been devoted to user issues in the health care provider domain, e.g. physicians, nurses, medical records. Recent developments toward promoting more consumer-oriented healthcare information systems have opened new questions about how individuals can and should relate to their personal health information in the form of Personal Health Records (PHR) systems. This paper adopts a user-driven perspective toward these new and challenging questions. Drawing upon ideas and discussions from a cross-section of information systems researchers, health care providers, private industry, and government, we examine several of the major issues that will need to be addressed in order to meet a national challenge to adopt PHR for all Americans by 2014

    Flight and analytical investigations of a structural mode excitation system on the YF-12A airplane

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    A structural excitation system, using an oscillating canard vane to generate force, was mounted on the forebody of the YF-12A airplane. The canard vane was used to excite the airframe structural modes during flight in the subsonic, transonic, and supersonic regimes. Structural modal responses generated by the canard vane forces were measured at the flight test conditions by airframe-mounted accelerometers. Correlations of analytical and experimental aeroelastic results were made. Doublet lattice, steady state double lattice with uniform lag, Mach box, and piston theory all produced acceptable analytical aerodynamic results within the restrictions that apply to each. In general, the aerodynamic theory methods, carefully applied, were found to predict the dynamic behavior of the YF-12A aircraft adequately

    Loring-Greenough House, North Yard Archaeogeophysics, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

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    An archaeogeophysical survey was carried out in May 2010 using Geonics EM-38 RT and a Malå Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system with a 500 MHz antenna over an 28x26 m grid immediately northeast of the Loring-Greenough house in Jamaica Plain, MA. Three major anomalies were identified. These anomalies have not been ground truthed, but they appear to be archaeological features. First, we suggest that there is builders trench just north of the house. Second, we suggest that there could be three east-west garden paths or other landscape features about 30 cm below the surface crossing the entire length of the survey grid. Third, we suggest that there could be a buried foundation or cellar hole 110 cm below the ground surface and 20 m north of the house. We recommend additional archaegeophysics be performed at the Loring-Greenough house, as well as a program of exploratory archaeological investigations with the goal of better understanding the past landscape around the house

    Documentary Research and Archaeological Investigations at the Waite-Kirby-Potter Site, Westport, Massachusetts

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    Research on the Waite-Kirby-Potter house in Westport, Massachusetts, included mapping historical resources visible on the surface and excavating 25 test pits and units near the house foundations in the fall of 2009. Field investigations were complemented by extensive documentary research including a complete chain of title and genealogical research on the three families who have owned the property between the late 17th century and the present. The visible historical features include elements associated with the former stone ender (the standing stone end and chimney, an adjacent brick chimney, and a stone-lined cellar hole), stone walls, a 19th-century barn foundation, a family cemetery, and the standing Restcome Potter house. The excavations uncovered a clean gravel work yard in front of the stone end house and sheet trash scatters with artifacts from the mid-18th to early 20th centuries behind and west of the house, as well as the remains of post holes for an agricultural outbuilding or fence at the edge of the near-by agricultural field. A primary trash deposit from a space within the chimney complex was probably deposited c. 1860 and contained numerous reconstructable ceramic vessels and glass bottles. Several of the ceramic vessels date to the previous century and had been curated for some time before being discarded. The most significant contributions are to the architectural history of the property; the combination of archaeological and documentary research has suggested some new or more specific dates for events previously dated only by tradition. We suggest that the stone-end house, traditionally dated to 1677, may have been constructed in the early 18th century between 1707 and 1721 by Thomas or Benjamin Waite. The western addition to the house, attributed to David Kirby, was constructed during the period when David and his father Ichabod’s families both occupied the house (1763-1793). The construction of the Restcome Potter house has traditionally been attributed to Restcome in 1838, but the property’s previous owner David Kirby mentions his “new dwelling house” in his 1832 will, pushing the construction date of this house earlier. Finally, the modifications to the stone chimney took place after 1858, demonstrating the Potter family’s continued use and upkeep of the older house. Test pits around the foundations of the western addition to the stone ender uncovered stone foundations and sill supports intact immediately beneath the modern ground surface

    The impact of prior physical conditioning in initial recruit training success: A systematic review

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    Aim: To determine whether recruits who underwent a physical conditioning program prior to initial tactical training had increased rates of success.Design: Systematic ReviewMethod: A systematic search, following the PRISMA protocol and registered in the Open Science Framework, was conducted to identify relevant studies. Keywords, derived from three themes (physical conditioning, tactical, and recruits), were employed in the search of database CINAHL, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, SportDiscus, and Web of Science. Studies were screened against inclusion/exclusion criteria with data extracted and analyzed. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools were used to assess methodological quality of included studies by two authors independently with a Kappa analysis to determine inter-rater agreement.Results: Of 14,411 identified articles, 13 studies informed the review. The mean quality of studies was considered ‘good’ with a Kappa of 0.81 between raters. Seven studies identified that an increase in physical fitness, through use of preconditioning programs, resulted in lower rates of injury. Three studies attributed increased basic training pass rates to physical conditioning programs. However, three studies failed to find a change in attrition rates following the programs.Conclusion: The volume of evidence suggests that programs aimed at increasing muscular conditioning and aerobic endurance prior to tactical training would result in fewer injuries and increased pass rates although reductions in absolute attrition may not change.Key Practice Points:• Recruits are less likely to be injured if they are fitter and / or have completed additional training prior to completing training for a tactical occupation

    Management of Virtual Project Teams: Guidelines for Team Leaders

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    This article offers a set of guidelines to assist project leaders when managing virtual project teams. The guidelines were developed as a result of a panel at the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the MIS department at the University of Arizona. These guidelines include recommendations for addressing challenges that occur over the virtual team project life cycle, including identifying appropriate team members, establishing conventions and norms, and creating shared awareness. We also give practical advice on how to highlight successes and learn from mistakes to ensure ongoing development of leadership and participation skills that will enable project leaders to manage virtual teams successfully

    Project 400: The Plymouth Colony Archaeological Survey, Report on the 2014 Field Season, Burial Hill Plymouth, Massachusetts

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    In May and June of 2014, a field school from the University of Massachusetts Boston, in partnership with Plimoth Plantation, undertook a second season of work in Plymouth, Massachusetts, as part of Project 400: The Plymouth Colony Archaeological Survey, a site survey and excavation program leading up to the 400th anniversary of New England’s first permanent English settlement in 1620, the founding of Plymouth Colony. This work was conducted under permit #3384 from the State Archaeologist’s office at the Massachusetts Historical Commission. The 2014 work focused on the eastern edge of Burial Hill along School Street in downtown Plymouth and consisted of ground penetrating radar survey and excavation (3 STPs and 9 EUs). Burial Hill, formerly Fort Hill, is understood as the location of the original fort built by the English colonists, and the walls that enclosed the fort and town stretched down the hill towards the harbor. The precise locations of any of these features have never been archaeologically identified. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the land on the eastern edge of the hill along School Street was sold to individuals who built houses and stables, all demolished by the early 20th century. Our test excavations were designed to see if any 17th-century features or deposits existed either under the floors of these buildings or in the strip of land between the backs of the buildings and the burials, which begin roughly 20 meters from the street. During the 2014 season, we did not locate any 17th-century features or deposits. The 2014 excavation units tested the footprints of 4 different 19th-century building lots (an 1827 school and three barn or stable buildings), all of which were demolished between 1882 and 1901. With the exception of the school, the buildings completely filled the 30 foot deep lots that existed along School Street. The excavations revealed that the buildings had been cut into the hill, destroying any earlier deposits that might have existed in those areas. Because of their particular construction and the area topography, there was almost no trash deposition behind the buildings, up the slope of Burial Hill. As each building was taken down, its footprint was filled, first to create a level surface, then to create a regular slope for this edge of Burial Hill. Each building appears to have been filled individually, since the deposits within each building footprint were quite different from each other. Material to fill these substantial building footprints must have been brought in from elsewhere; the slag in EU3 is the clearest evidence of this. Although we found flaked tools (a quartz flake drill, a rhyolite unifacial scraper, and quartz Small Stemmed points) in the topsoil and fill layers of EUs 8 and 9 and chipping debris (quartz and rhyolite) in all excavation units, we found no in-situ Native artifacts or features. With the exception of the large metal pieces in EU2 and some related deposits in EU9 which seem to be primary trash deposits, most other deposits contained either predominantly architectural materials (brick, nails, window glass), or a mixture of architectural materials and redeposited sheet refuse (ceramics and glass in small fragments). One of the only in situ, non-fill deposits that we encountered was the test pit that we dug below the building floor layer of EU2 which uncovered an associated late 18th or early 19th century pipe bowl and a dog skeleton, either a burial or an animal that died below the floor. From other units, there were a number of interesting small finds such as buttons, pins, an 1874 Indian Head penny, and buckles, including an early 20th-century Red Cross pin. Other notable artifacts include fragments of six possible gravestones in both slate and marble. One of these is decorated and appears to be a fragment of a slate Medusa style design from the Soule family of carvers, probably from the 1750s or 1760s. An analysis of all of the bone and tooth fragments recovered during the field season confirmed that the whole collection consisted of the remains of common animals (cat, dog, rat, duck, chicken, sheep/goat, pig, and cow) and included no human remains. EU7, located in the lot that held the 1827 school, yielded a significant collection of small finds related to the school including pen nibs, slate pencils, and a possible compass fragment. The report illustrates these materials and presents comparative research on the archaeology of school sites and artifacts

    A survey to evaluate the association of COVID-19 restrictions on perceived mood and coping in Australian community level athletes

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    Australian community level athletes faced unprecedented changes to their training andcompetition options as the global COVID-19 pandemic took a stronghold. This disruptionwas predicted to have a negative impact on emotional well-being as communitiesbraced through periods of social isolation and physical distancing requirements. Thisstudy provides an Australian perspective on the emotional well-being of communitylevel athletes and the extent to which they coped during the COVID-19 pandemic.Emotional well-being and coping were measured using the Brief Emotional ExperienceScale and the 28-item Brief Cope Scale. Both instruments were administered alongwith other questions pertaining to participant demographics and training status via anonline survey between April and June 2020. The survey was disseminated to communityathletes through word-of-mouth and social media platforms. No significant differencesin emotional well-being were observed between athlete groups as a result of COVID-19and its associated restrictions. Coping scores also appeared to be preserved in Australiancommunity athletes, which contrasts the impact expected asa result of the COVID-19pandemic. While tentative, the observed preservation in coping may have bufferedpotential declines in emotional well-being, which has beendocumented in professionaland semi-professional athletes and the general population. These unexpected findingsand tentative suppositions warrant further investigationand highlight the importance ofconducting a country- or region-specific approach to examining the impact of COVID-19on community athletes, as responses to COVID-19 are undoubtedly not consistentthroughout the world

    Data Recovery Excavations of the Carriage House, Greenhouse, and Greenhouse/Carriage House Well at Gore Place, Waltham, Massachusetts

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    Excavations and ground penetrating radar at Gore Place in Waltham, Massachusetts, examined the original 1793 carriage house site, the 1806 greenhouse, and the greenhouse/carriage house well, all associated with Christopher and Rebecca Gore. The carriage house was moved in 1968, and its cellar was filled at that time. Mechanical removal of the fill in a portion of the carriage house cellar revealed that the lower portion of at least the rear (north) foundation wall is well preserved along with the cellar floor. Documentary evidence indicated that the carriage house cellar had been used for manure (compost) preparation, while the first floor was used to house horses and to store gardening tools and firewood. Four excavation units set into the cellar floor revealed no evidence of its former use for manure production (such as organic staining) indicating that it had been thoroughly cleaned. The artifacts present in the floor units represent a considerable time period from that of the Gores through to the early 20th century. The majority of objects date to the Gore period, and the wide variety may reflect the incorporation of refuse into manure production. Investigations north of the structure showed that some of the soil in the parking lot constituting the western portion of Gore’s vegetable garden was removed and replaced with a uniform mixture of sand and gravel, probably at the time the carriage house was moved. While the gravel is at least 2 m deep close to the carriage house foundation, its depth lessens with distance northward, since shovel testing in 2004 showed intact dark brown loamy soil beginning at a depth of 35 to 50 cm below driveway gravel and sand bedding at 20 and 40 m north of the carriage house foundation. Early 19th-century maps indicated that the greenhouse was roughly 60 feet (18 m) long and 15 to 21 feet (up to 6.5 m) wide with a small extension on the west end. Fifty-two square meters were excavated at the west end, uncovering the trapezoidal brick fl oor of the extension and an associated stone drain, ground surfaces contemporary with the greenhouse, post holes for a fence that separated the greenhouse area from the carriage house, layers relating to the greenhouse’s destruction (early 1840s), and later landscaping features including a stone wall and two drains. Documentary, archaeological, and geophysical data suggest that the greenhouse was a formal space intended to grow and display exotic plants and that it was built in the relatively new lean-to style, with a tall back wall and short front wall. The artifact assemblage included architectural elements, tools and small finds related to the greenhouse operation (including the remains of at least 149 planting pots), and bone stockpiled for soil enrichment. The greenhouse was constructed by the Gores during a period of intense interest in agricultural experimentation by members of the Massachusetts commercial and political elite. Scholars have argued that these men used the positive associations of agriculture to offset some of the contemporary negative connotations of commerce. This report examines the greenhouse both as a space for the display of exotic plants in the context of this scientifi c agricultural movement and posits that Rebecca Gore may have played a signifi cant role in managing it

    Effects of External Vibration Stimulation on Internal Rotation Range of Motion and Hamstring Strength

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    Introduction Whole body and localized vibration therapy have gained increased use in the fitness community, clinical setting, and research Efficacy as a modality option is yet to be determined Objective Evaluate the effects of localized vibration treatment (LVT) to the sacral region on shoulder internal rotation (IR) range of motion (ROM) and isometric hamstring strength Participants 50 Concordia University DPT Students 28 females 22 males Age: 22-33 (Avg. 24) Methods Baseline dominant extremity shoulder IR ROM measured in supine with manual goniometry Baseline hamstring strength measurements in prone using MicroFETTM (hand held dynamometer), taken post 1 practice test Therapeutic intervention: application of LVT using the Hypervolt PlusR tool to 5 predetermined landmarks on sacral region for 40 seconds total Post-therapeutic intervention measurements Prone hamstring strength using MicroFETTM Supine shoulder IR ROM with manual goniometry Results Statistical significance (p \u3c 0.05) was demonstrated for increased shoulder IR (mean difference 3.5 degrees) Hamstring strength did not rise to statistical significance (p=0.09) Conclusion Vibration stimulation to neural dense area such as the sacral region can improve shoulder internal rotation range of motion. Clinical Relevance Potential acute gains in ROM and strength to allow for greater effectiveness in subsequent PT interventions In sport training, LVT could be used as a quick and effective tool for increased athletic performance Future Research Procedural modifications may improve outcomes Pelvis stabilization methods may demonstrate clinically significant improvements in hamstring strength Incremental testing post LVT delivery to assess duration of effect
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