Developing a Mammalian Behaviour Ontology

The use of the Entity + Quality (EQ) model in phenotypic descriptions is dependent on the use of specialised domain ontologies to define the entity under observation. A domain currently lacking a specialised ontology is mammalian behaviour, and so the Mammalian Behaviour Ontology is being constructed to address this. Top-level class distinctions are made between behavioural activities and behavioural functions of individuals, and those between two or more individuals. The ontology is manually developed and encourages contributions from domain experts

Challenging EU Solidarity? : German-Russian Relations

JESSICA ANN BECK: Challenging EU Solidarity? : German-Russian Relations (Under the direction of Dr. Matthew Loveless) The European Union and its ability to function as a unified actor in the international sphere will be analyzed in this thesis. When the 27 member states of the EU act as one, this institution clearly has tremendous power to adjust international politics in its favor. In addressing the EU’s ability to act in a unified manner in the international environment, this thesis will analyze how bilateral relations affect unity in EU foreign policy. Often, the actions of individual nations are blamed for the EU\u27s failure to achieve goals in foreign policy. Thus, this thesis will set out the case for the EU\u27s performance in the context of German-Russian relations and EU-Russian energy policy, and demonstrate how this particular issue is instructive on the larger question ofEU unity. In analyzing EU foreign policy, a test measuring “actorness”, or the ability of the EU to achieve actor status in foreign policy, will be constructed from criteria found in the literature. These criteria include authority, recognition, autonomy, cohesion, and capability. Ifthe EU is not able to fulfill each of the criteria for actorness, then it will fail to achieve actor status. Although the results of this research demonstrate a failure of the EU to achieve actor status, the test of actorness is helpful in that it highlights the strengths and weakness of the EU in international affairs. As the EU is an ever-developing institution, the findings of this research will be applied to new changes being made in the current EU, with particular consideration for the adoption ofthe Lisbon Treaty

Neural mechanisms of visual categorization

The ability to categorize is a fundamental cognitive skill for animals, including human beings. Our lives would be utterly confusing without categories. We would feel overwhelmed or miss out on important aspects of our environment if we would perceive every single entity as one-of-a-kind. Therefore, categorization is of great importance for perception, learning, remembering, decision making, performing an action, certain aspects of social interaction, and reasoning. The seemingly effortless and instantaneous ability to transform sensory information into meaningful categories determines the success for interacting with our environment. However, the apparent ease with which we use categorization and categories conceals the complexity of the underlying brain processing that makes categorization and categorical representations possible. Therefore, the question arises: how are categorical information encoded and represented in the brain

Noninvasive Cleaning and Sanitation Monitoring System for Deli Department Processing

The inability to adequately judge the efficacy of cleaning/sanitation in deli departments is a recognized food safety concern. In prior studies, our research group demonstrated that visual inspection of cleaned produce processing surfaces could be enhanced through the use of a portable imaging device. To explore the feasibility of using this technology to facilitate detection of deli residues, fluorescence spectra of deli commodities were acquired using a laboratory-based hyperspectral imaging system. Cheeses evidenced a strong response at 675 nm; meats were best detected at 475 or 520 nm, demonstrating these wavelengths are good candidates for deli residue detection. To confirm these findings, images were taken of an in-house deli slicer with the portable imaging device. Deli residues were detected and several slicer areas were identified as being prone to residue buildup. Results confirmed the potential to use a portable imaging device to enhance current cleaning procedures in a deli setting

Examining the association of medication complexity with health-related quality of life in older adults receiving community-based long term services and supports

While the complexity of a medication regimen is a concern for all individuals, it is of significant concern for community-dwelling older adults who often require multiple medications to treat chronic health problems. Health related quality of life (HRQoL) has been identified as a key quality outcome measure when assessing care of older adults, particularly those with long-term care needs. Although the use of multiple medications has been widely explored in the literature, there is a paucity of data regarding the combination of several medication-related factors (number of active medications, therapeutic drug class, and medication regimen complexity) and HRQoL in older adults. Wilson and Cleary\u27s health-related quality of life conceptual model was the theoretical framework used to guide this study. This secondary analysis examined the relationship among the number of active medications, the number of therapeutic drug classes, and medication regimen complexity and HRQoL in community-dwelling older adults (68% Hispanic, 75% female) who were recent recipients of home and community-based services (H&CBS). The subjects in this study (N =123) were enrolled in a large, multi-site study (N=470) (R01-AG025524, PI, M. Naylor). Medication-related data were obtained from medical charts, counted to include the active number of medications as all prescription and over the counter drugs (mean =9.3), and a therapeutic drug class tool (mean =4.9) measured the number of distinct therapeutic drug classes included in a medication regimen. Medication regimen complexity (mean = 20.6) was measured using the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI). The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (MOS SF-12 v2) physical (PCS) and mental component scores (MCS) measured HRQoL. After controlling for age, gender, education, race, ethnicity, marital status and cognitive status, it was determined that the number of active medications (beta coefficient -.497, p=.012) was a key predictor of physical health-related quality of life, while therapeutic drug class and medication regimen complexity were not associated with either physical or mental health-related quality of life. The number of medications impacts on physical health-related quality of life but the directionality of that relationship is not clear; there were no significant effects on mental health-related-related quality of life and medication-related variables. Keywords: Older adults, active medications, therapeutic drug class, medication regimen complexity, community-based long term services and supports

Volumetric Three-component Velocimetry Two-phase Flow Measurements of Sediment Suspension under Regular Plunging Waves

Breaking waves suspend and transport large amounts of sediment particles in the surf zone. Two important aspects of the problem are the mechanism of sediment suspension and the distribution of the suspended sediment. One approach to solving this problem is to measure the sediment particles’ position and movement simultaneously with the characteristics of the flow field. Previous studies have found that sediment suspension events are related to a number of flow parameters including the vertical velocity, vorticity, horizontal velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, total shear stress, and turbulent shear stress. The objective of this study was to design and conduct an experiment that would allow for the gathering of data on the flow field and individual sediment particles simultaneously so the relationship between the characteristics of the flow field and sediment suspension and transport could be understood. The experiment was performed in a laboratory flume tilted at a slope of 2.5% with a piston type wave maker. Plunging regular waves were generated with a wave height of 0.14 m and a wave period of 3.6 s. Images of the breaking-wave-induced flow field were captured using a Volumetric Three-Component Velocimetry (V3V) system manufactured by TSI Inc. Near neutrally buoyant tracer particles were introduced in the flow to follow the fluid motion with a diameter of 54 microns and specific gravity of 1.05. The sediment particles were round white glass beads with a diameter that ranged from 0.212 to 0.25 mm and a specific gravity of 2.5. The sediment particles were separated from the tracer particles using the TSI Insight V3V 4GTM program based on the radius, intensity, percent overlap, and search tolerances of the particle images. Thirty-five tests were conducted. The measured velocity fields were studied and nine representative events were selected and analyzed in detail. The nine cases involve specific breaking-wave-generated flow structures and their interactions with the sediment. The measurements show that vertical velocity, shear stress, and vorticity were all highly related to sediment suspension. The measured data are discussed with the literature on sediment suspension by breaking waves and large-scale organized flow structures generated by other flows

Growing Institutional Research Relationships and External Funding at Predominately Undergraduate Institutions

At a Predominately Undergraduate Institution (PUI), developing a growth trajectory of proposal submissions, external funding, and relationships with other entities can be a difficult but fulfilling task

Notable Notes: A Collection of Law Student Notebooks

Exhibition program from a Fall 1999 exhibit presented in the Daniel R. Coquillette Rare Book Room at the Boston College Law Library. The exhibition featured notebooks produced by American and British law students in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries

A MILP model for revenue optimization of a compressed air energy storage plant with electrolysis

Energy storage, both short- and long-term, will play a vital role in the energy system of the future. One storage technology that provides high power and capacity and that can be operated without carbon emissions is compressed air energy storage (CAES). However, it is widely assumed that CAES plants are not economically feasible. In this context, a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model of the Huntorf CAES plant was developed for revenue maximization when participating in the day-ahead market and the minute-reserve market in Germany. The plant model included various plant variations (increased power and storage capacity, recuperation) and a water electrolyzer to produce hydrogen to be used in the combustion chamber of the CAES plant. The MILP model was applied to four use cases that represent a market-orientated operation of the plant. The objective was the maximization of revenue with regard to price spreads and operating costs. To simulate forecast uncertainties of the market prices, a rolling horizon approach was implemented. The resulting revenues ranged between EUR 0.5 Mio and EUR 7 Mio per year and suggested that an economically sound operation of the storage plant is possible