Design and implementation of a World Wide Web conference information system

The Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers is a technical conference dealing in signal and image processing, communications, sensor systems, and computer hardware and software. Sponsored by the Naval Postgraduate School and San Jose State University, in cooperation with the IEEE Signal Processing Society, the conference is held annually at the Asilomar Conference Facility in Pacific Grove, California. Although the Asilomar Conference is oriented toward computers and new technology, it has yet to exploit the full capabilities of the Internet. The purpose of this thesis is to: (a) Analyze the processes involved in the Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems, & Computers, (b) Improve the article submission and review process, (c) Outline a target information system, (d) Implement a portion of the target system. Two major portions of the target system are implemented using an IBM compatible PC: (1) the ability for authors to submit abstracts and summaries via the Internet, (2) to allow conference administrators to manage the database via the Internet. Dynamic World Wide Web pages are created using Borland Delphi as the programming base, O'Rielly's WebSite as the web server, and two Common Gateway Interface elements for Delphi recently developed by Ann Lynnworth of HREF Tools Corp. The portions implemented lay the foundation for a system that could revolutionize the way conferences are conducted by unleashing the power of the Internethttp://archive.org/details/designimplementa00chalU.S. Navy (U.S.N.) authors.Lieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Evaluating Animal-Assisted Interventions:An Empirical Illustration of Differences between Outcome Measures

Multiple authors have called for strong empirical evaluations to strengthen the foundation of Animal-Assisted Interventions. Carefully choosing the outcome measures of these studies is important, as choosing the wrong outcomes may lead to a failure to detect effects. The current study therefore compares and contrasts the use of several outcome measures, to assess the effect of an equine-assisted intervention for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder: (1) a semi-structured interview with both parents, specifically designed for children with cognitive disabilities, (2) a general screening instrument filled out by both parents separately, which can be used to assess children’s psycho-social problems, and (3) systematic observations of social and communication skills during the equine-assisted sessions. All instruments indicated an improvement in the participant’s social and communication skills. We found differences between the interview and questionnaires with regard to parents’ perception of aggression regulation and interacting with peers. Differences with regard to parental reports and observations were found for play development and anxiety. The observations provided a detailed view of the child’s development during the intervention, which yielded an interesting hypothesis in terms of the current dose–response discussion in AAI for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The Surgical Hazardous Attitudes Reflection Profile (SHARP) Instrument - A Prototype Study

OBJECTIVE: There is growing recognition that surgeons’ non-technical skills are crucial in guaranteeing optimal quality and safety of patient care. However, insight in relevant attitudes underlying these behavioral skills is lacking. Hazardous attitudes potentially cause risky behavior, which can result in medical errors and adverse events. A questionnaire offering surgeons insight in their attitudinal profile is still missing and would be instrumental in risk reduction. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a prototype of a reliable and valid instrument to measure hazardous attitudes among surgeons. DESIGN: To measure hazardous attitudes, a prototype of the Surgical Hazardous Attitudes Reflection Profile (SHARP) tool was designed using a mixed methods approach, consisting of (1) 2 focus group discussions, (2) a modified Delphi analysis, and (3) a survey followed by (4) statistical analysis of the psychometric properties. Statistical analysis included exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation, calculation of internal consistency reliability coefficients, and interscale correlations. SETTING: Fourteen hospitals across the Netherlands were recruited to guarantee demographic variety and the inclusion of academic, tertiary, and general hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen experts participated in the 2 focus groups, and 19 in the modified Delphi study. In total, 302 surgeons (54.1%) completed the SHARP. RESULTS: In total, 302 surgeons (54.1%) completed the SHARP. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in 6 subscales measuring attitude towards (1) authority (α = 0.78), (2) self-performance (α = 0.69), (3) performance feedback (α = 0.61), (4) own fitness to perform (α = 0.54), (5) uncertainty (α = 0.51), and (6) planned procedures (α = 0.48). CONCLUSIONS: This study resulted in a prototype instrument identifying 6 potential hazardous attitudes in surgeons. Attitudes towards “authority” and “self-performance” can now be validly and reliably measured. Further research is required to optimize the prototype version of the instrument and could usefully explore the plausible relations between hazardous attitudes and clinical outcomes

Content analysis of promotional material for asthma-related products and therapies on Instagram

BACKGROUND: Increasingly, social media is a source for information about health and disease self-management. We conducted a content analysis of promotional asthma-related posts on Instagram to understand whether promoted products and services are consistent with the recommendations found in the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) 2019 guidelines. METHODS: We collected every Instagram post incorporating a common, asthma-related hashtag between September 29, 2019 and October 5, 2019. Of these 2936 collected posts, we analyzed a random sample of 266, of which, 211 met our inclusion criteria. Using an inductive, qualitative approach, we categorized the promotional posts and compared each post\u27s content with the recommendations contained in the 2019 GINA guidelines. Posts were categorized as consistent with GINA if the content was supported by the GINA guidelines. Posts that promoted content that was not recommended by or was unrelated to the guidelines were categorized as not supported by GINA . RESULTS: Of 211 posts, 89 (42.2%) were promotional in nature. Of these, a total of 29 (32.6%) were categorized as being consistent with GINA guidelines. The majority of posts were not supported by the guidelines. Forty-one (46.1%) posts promoted content that was not recommended by the current guidelines. Nineteen (21.3%) posts promoted content that was unrelated to the guidelines. The majority of unsupported content promoted non-pharmacological therapies (n = 39, 65%) to manage asthma, such as black seed oil, salt-room therapy, or cupping. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of Instagram posts in our sample promoted products or services that were not supported by GINA guidelines. These findings suggest a need for providers to discuss online health information with patients and highlight an opportunity for providers and social media companies to promote evidence-based asthma treatments and self-management advice online

Design of a Software System to Support Value Education in Sports Through Gamification Techniques

Nowadays, it is quite common to find violent acts in grassroot sports, such as football. Almost every week, it is possible to find news about team supporters fighting against each other, or football players arguing aggressively to the referee. And the worst part in this story is that most of these acts are watched by children. In order to alleviate this situation and create awareness of the necessity to create educational programs to prevent violence in sports, the European Union has funded several projects focused on this area. One of this project is called SAVEit project, and its goal is to create and develop innovative educational tools to promote values in grassroot sports. This paper presents the software architecture designed in SAVEit project to achieve this goal. This architecture is mainly composed of a Learning Management System, where coaches will learn about the values; a Team Management Site, where coaches can evaluate the values acquired by the children of the teams; and finally, a Video Game that using gamification techniques will keep the motivation of children during the learning process

Enhancing the wettability of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) membrane with ozone for improving fuel cell performance

Ozone was reacted with the aromatic membrane polyetheretherketone (PEEK) to form oxidized functional groups on the surface to enhance the attraction and transport of protons in fuel cells. Ozonation of unsaturated C-C sp2 bonds in PEEK formed a primary ozonide which dissociated to primarily produce O=C-O/O=C-OH moieties, and the root mean squared roughness factor (Rq) decreased from 7.4 nm, for the untreated sample, down to 3.1 nm. The oxidation of the surface and decrease in surface roughness made the surface increase in hydrophilicity as observed by the decrease in the water contact angle (CA) from 80.3° for untreated PEEK down to 21.7°. Washing the treated surface with solvent decreased the O at % on the surface indicating the formation of a weak boundary layer because of bond breakage during the decomposition of the ozonide