God and the Machine: A Correlational Study on Mobile Phone Dependence, Religious Coping, and Mental Health

Research on the various effects of mobile phones did not begin to be published until after they had already been integrated into society. To date, the results of various studies looking into the relationship between mobile phone use and mental health demonstrate that phones, if used in problematic ways, have negative effects on mental health. Even so, there are no studies looking into problematic mobile phone use and how it correlates with spirituality and positive religious coping as well as mental health. Due to this gap in the research, this anonymous online study was designed to look into correlations between problematic cell phone use, positive religious coping, and mental health. The Adapted Cell Phone Addiction Test (ACPAT) was used to assess problematic cell phone use, the Religious Coping Activities Scales (RCOPE) were used to assess positive religious coping, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-42) were used to assess mental health

Average of Synthetic Exact Filters

This paper introduces a class of correlation filters called Average of Synthetic Exact Filters (ASEF). For ASEF, the correlation output is completely specified for each training image. This is in marked contrast to prior methods such as Synthetic Discriminant Functions (SDFs) which only spec-ify a single output value per training image. Advantages of ASEF training include: insenitivity to over-fitting, greater flexibility with regard to training images, and more robust behavior in the presence of structured backgrounds. The theory and design of ASEF filters is presented using eye localization on the FERET database as an example task. ASEF is compared to other popular correlation filters in-cluding SDF, MACE, OTF, and UMACE, and with other eye localization methods including Gabor Jets and the OpenCV Cascade Classifier. ASEF is shown to outperform all these methods, locating the eye to within the radius of the iris ap-proximately 98.5 % of the time. 1

Effect of saliva contamination on the bond strength of single-step and three-step adhesive systems

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of saliva contamination on bond strength to dentin with an etch-and-rinse and a self-etch adhesive system. For each of these adhesive systems, the dentin surface of 24 human molars were allocated to one of four groups representing different saliva contamination scenarios. Saliva was applied at different stages in the bonding process, and was investigated to be remedied by water rinsing and/or air drying. Uncontaminated tooth surfaces were used as controls. Bonding procedures were performed according to the manufacturer's instructions, and a polymer-based composite was placed. The bond strength was measured by a micro-tensile test. Except for the etch-and-rinse approach having contamination with saliva after etching, followed by air drying, all salivary contamination regimens resulted in a substantial number of specimens not surviving the test, and the bond strength value of these was therefore set to 0 MPa for the purposes of the statistical analysis. Water rinsing after etching and salivary contamination did significantly reduce the bond strength. Contamination after priming showed the lowest bond strength. For the self-etch approach, saliva contamination before the adhesive procedure, followed by air drying, significantly reduced the bond strength, while contamination followed by water rinsing or air drying did not statistically significantly reduce the strength.publishedVersio

Ultrafast dynamic ellipsometry of laser driven shock waves

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemistry, 2008.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Vita.Includes bibliographical references.The experimental measurement technique of ultrafast dynamic ellipsometry (UDE) was developed for measuring material motion and changes in optical properties of samples under laser driven shock loading. Ultrafast dynamic ellipsometry, a technique based on space-shifted spectral interferometry, uses the time-dependent frequency of a chirped laser pulse to provide time encoding, allowing the picosecond probing of material dynamics in a single shot. With this technique, the sample is probed at two different incident angles with both s- and p-polarized light, which measures the motion of the material and any change in its complex refractive index. Ultrafast dynamic ellipsometry was first used to ascertain the Hugoniot and the shocked refractive indices of thin polymer films of polycarbonate, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene-co-vinylidene fluoride) (Kel-F 800), and polydimethylsiloxane (Sylgard 184). Next, UDE was used to measure the Hugoniots of liquid samples over a range of nearly one-dimensional stresses in a single laser shot by capitalizing on the spatial energy distribution of the shock generating laser beam. Using the spatially resolved UDE data, the Hugoniots and shocked refractive indices of cyclohexane, toluene, methanol, and water were measured, each in a single laser shot. Two additional liquids, nitromethane and carbon disulfide, were also investigated with UDE, and both liquids showed evidence of chemical reaction in the first 200 ps after the arrival of the shock wave. Ultrafast dynamic ellipsometry was used in conjunction with high-speed schlieren imaging to determine the nature of the insult provided by ablation of a thin titanium film in optical detonators.(cont.) We found that the titanium ablates in fragmented sections, which impact the explosive material to initiate the optical detonators. Finally, UDE was applied to the study of metallic phase transitions. The change in the complex refractive index of crystalline silicon was measured during ultrafast laser induced melting. The fabrication of thin metal films of iron and cerium is described, and preliminary UDE data were recorded in an attempt to probe the ??-?? phase transformation in iron and the ??-?? transformation in cerium.by Cynthia Anne Bolme.Ph.D

Administrativ prosjektledelse i offentlige sykehus. Hvordan bidrar prosjektledere i stabsavdeling til fremdrift og gjennomføring av endringsarbeid på norske sykehus?

Temaet for denne studien er administrativ prosjektledelse. I denne oppgaven ser jeg på hvordan administrative endringsledere opplever sin rolle under endringsprosesser; hva de ser som nødvendig for å lykkes med endring gjennom fremdrift, og hvordan endringslederen bidrar til gjennomføringen. Problemstilling: Hvordan bidrar prosjektledere i stabsavdeling til fremdrift og gjennomføring av endringsarbeid på sykehus? Metode som er benyttet er en kvalitativ forskningsmetode, hvor jeg har utført seks semistrukturerte dybdeintervjuer. Analyse av data er utført med en abduktiv fremgangsmåte. Informantene er ansatte ved stabsavdeling i tre ulike norske sykehus. Funnene i denne studien er presentert som fem hovedfunn. Det første funnet beskriver rammen og spenningen endringsleder står imellom linjeavdeling og stabsavdeling. Dette funnet legger rammen for de andre funnene. Studien viser også hvor avhengig endringsleder er av å samarbeide med de berørte partene i prosjektarbeid for å kunne få til ønsket fremdrift og gjennomføring. Drøftingen i denne studien viser spenningen som administrative prosjektledere står i under endringsprosesser. Prosjektlederen må balansere mellom en komplisert organisasjon delvis organisert som maskinbyråkrati og delvis organisert som profesjonsbyråkrati. På den ene siden tilsier funnene mine hva som er ønskelig for at endringsleder skal få bidratt til endring gjennom fremdrift. På den andre siden tilsier funnene mine hva som prosjektleder bidrar med. Konklusjonen blir at det er avgjørende med en god tilpasning mellom linjeavdeling og stabsavdeling for at endringsleder skal lykkes i bidraget mot gjennomføring av endringsprosesser Det vil si at linjeavdeling og stabsavdelingen må begge forstå hverandres oppgaver for å lykkes med endring. Det som er nødvendig for å lykkes er: et godt samarbeid mellom linjeavdeling og stabsavdeling – at prosjektlederen forstår konteksten i en utenforstående rolle – at prosjektgruppen innehar rett kompetanse til rett tid – både linjeavdeling og stabsavdeling ser meningen med endringen. Endringsleder bidrar med: støtte den operative kjernen/mellomleder – medarbeiderfokusert ledelsesstil – prosjektarbeid – skape endringskultur

A High-Precision Protocol for Identification of Preschool Children at Risk for Persisting Obesity

BACKGROUND:Recent studies suggest that adolescent adiposity is established already in preadolescence. Earlier studies have confirmed a strong tracking of obesity from adolescence to adulthood. Our aim was to examine the diagnostic accuracy of a population-derived protocol for identification of preschool children at risk for obesity in preadolescence. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We analysed data obtained for child health surveillance up to age 5 from 5778 children born in a Swedish county in 1991. The basic data set included age, sex, and weight and height measurements from the regular checkups between ages 1.5 and 5. Data not routinely collected in the child health centre setting were disregarded. The children were at age 10 randomly assigned to protocol derivation and validation cohorts and assessed for obesity according to IOTF criteria. The accuracy of predicting obesity in the validation cohort was measured using decision precision, specificity, and sensitivity. The decision protocol selected 1.4% of preschool children as being at obesity risk. The precision of the protocol at age 10 was 82% for girls and 80% for boys, and the specificity was 100% for both boys and girls. The sensitivity was higher for girls (41%) than for boys (21%). The relative risk for obesity at age 10 estimated by the odds ratio for individuals selected by the protocol compared to non-selected peers was 212.6 (95% confidence interval 56.6 to 798.4) for girls and 120.3 (95% CI 24.5 to 589.9) for boys. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE:A simple and inexpensive decision protocol based on BMI values proved to have high precision and specificity for identification of preschool children at risk for obesity persisting into adolescence, while the sensitivity was low especially for boys. Implementation and further evaluations of the protocol in child health centre settings are warranted

Family-based behavioural intervention programme for obese children: a feasibility study

OBJECTIVES: To assess a 2-year family-based behavioural intervention programme against child obesity. DESIGN: Single-group pre- and post-intervention feasibility study. SETTING: Swedish paediatric outpatient care. PARTICIPANTS: 26 obese children aged 8.3-12.0 years and their parents who had consented to actively participate in a 2-year intervention. INTERVENTIONS: 25 paediatric outpatient group sessions over a 2-year period with parallel groups for children and parents. The basis for the programme was a manual containing instructions for tutor-supervised group sessions with obese children and their parents. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was change in standardised body mass index between baseline and after 36 months. The secondary outcome measures were change in the waist:height ratio, metabolic parameters and programme adherence. The participants were examined at baseline and after 3, 12 and 24 months of therapy and at follow-up 12 months after completion of the programme. RESULTS: The primary outcome measure, standardised body mass index, declined from a mean of 3.3 (0.7 SD) at baseline to 2.9 (0.7 SD) (p<0.001) at follow-up 12 months after completion of the programme. There was no change in the waist:height ratio. Biomedical markers of blood glucose metabolism and lipid status remained in the normal range. 96% of the families completed the programme. CONCLUSIONS: This feasibility study of a 2-year family-based behavioural intervention programme in paediatric outpatient care showed promising results with regard to further weight gain and programme adherence. These findings must be confirmed in a randomised controlled trial with longer follow-up before the intervention programme can be implemented on a larger scale

A dc proton injector for use in high-current cw linacs

A 75-keV dc and pulsed-mode proton injector is being developed for beam testing of a 100-mA, 6.7-MeV cw radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) at Los Alamos. A microwave proton source operating at 2.45 GHz produces 130-mA hydrogen-ion beam currents with > 85% proton fraction, yielding the 110-mA proton current required at the RFQ injection point. Doppler-shift spectroscopy confirms previously measured proton fractions. The discharge may be pulsed by current modulation of the magnetron power supply. A 1-MHz coherent oscillation observed in the extracted ion beam was eliminated by selecting proper magnetron operation. Transport and matching of the proton beam to the RFQ is accomplished by a two-solenoid, beam space-charge neutralized low-energy beam transport (LEBT) system. The injector was temporarily reconfigured to operate at 50 keV for injector matching studies into a 1.25 MeV cw RFQ. A maximum current of 100-mA has been accelerated through the RFQ in cw mode

Development and test results of the low-energy demonstration accelerator (LEDA) proton injector on a 1.25 MeV cw radio frequency quadrupole

The low-energy demonstration accelerator (LEDA) 75-keV proton injector is being developed for tests of high-current (100-mA) cw linacs. The injector comprises a microwave proton source and a space-charge neutralized magnetic low-energy beam-transport system (LEBT). The LEDA injector has been configured to provide flexible 50-keV beam matching into a cw 1.25-MeV radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) brought from Chalk River Laboratories (CRL). The LEBT has two solenoid focus magnets separated by 117 cm. Between the solenoids are two steering magnets and diagnostic stations for measuring the beam current, profile, and position. The ion-source extraction system was modified to a 50-keV triode to test the injector/RFQ system. Beam-matching tests showed that injector-RFQ transmission is 90% for 50-mA RFQ current. At the RFQ design current of 75 mA the beam transmission decreased to 80--85%. Optimized injector tuning led to 100-mA beam accelerated through the RFQ