eHealth and the Internet of Things

To respond to an ageing population, eHealth strategies offer significant opportunities in achieving a balanced and sustainable healthcare infrastructure. Advances in technology both at the sensor and device levels and in respect of information technology have opened up other possibilities and options. Of significance among these is what is increasingly referred to as the Internet of Things, the interconnection of physical devices to an information infrastructure. The paper therefore sets out to position the Internet of Things at the core of future developments in eHealt

Linking recorded data with emotive and adaptive computing in an eHealth environment

Telecare, and particularly lifestyle monitoring, currently relies on the ability to detect and respond to changes in individual behaviour using data derived from sensors around the home. This means that a significant aspect of behaviour, that of an individuals emotional state, is not accounted for in reaching a conclusion as to the form of response required. The linked concepts of emotive and adaptive computing offer an opportunity to include information about emotional state and the paper considers how current developments in this area have the potential to be integrated within telecare and other areas of eHealth. In doing so, it looks at the development of and current state of the art of both emotive and adaptive computing, including its conceptual background, and places them into an overall eHealth context for application and development

Assessing Feeding Damage from Two Leaffooted Bugs, Leptoglossus clypealis Heidemann and Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) (Hemiptera: Coreidae), on Four Almond Varieties.

Leaffooted bugs (Leptoglossus spp; Hemiptera: Coreidae) are phytophagous insects native to the Western Hemisphere. In California, Leptoglossus clypealis and Leptoglossus zonatus are occasional pests on almonds. Early season feeding by L. clypealis and L. zonatus leads to almond drop, while late season feeding results in strikes on kernels, kernel necrosis, and shriveled kernels. A field cage study was conducted to assess feeding damage associated with L. clypealis and L. zonatus on four almond varieties, Nonpareil, Fritz, Monterey, and Carmel. The objectives were to determine whether leaffooted bugs caused significant almond drop, to pinpoint when the almond was vulnerable, and to determine the final damage at harvest. Branches with ~20 almonds were caged and used to compare almond drop and final damage in four treatments: (1) control branches, (2) mechanically punctured almonds, (3) adult Leptoglossus clypealis, and (4) adult Leptoglossus zonatus. Replicates were set up for eight weeks during two seasons. Early season feeding resulted in higher almond drop than late season, and L. zonatus resulted in greater drop than L. clypealis. The almond hull width of the four varieties in the study did not influence susceptibility to feeding damage. The final damage assessment at harvest found significant levels of kernel strikes, kernel necrosis, and shriveled almonds in bug feeding cages, with higher levels attributed to L. zonatus than L. clypealis. Further research is warranted to develop an Integrated Pest Management program with reduced risk controls for L. zonatus

STEPs\u27 Program Evaluation Capacity-Building Program

CPACS Urban Research Awards Part of the mission of the College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS) is to conduct research, especially as it relates to concerns of our local and statewide constituencies. CPACS has always had an urban mission, and one way that mission is served is to preform applied research relevant to urban society in general, and the Omaha metropolitan area and other Nebraska urban communities in particular. Beginning in 2014, the CPACS Dean provided funding for the projects with high relevance to current urban issues, with the potential to apply the findings to practice in Nebraska, Iowa, and beyond

Geographic Survey of Oxyspirura Petrowi Among Wild Northern Bobwhites in the United States

Eyeworms (Oxyspirura petrowi) are potentially associated with northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) declines. We examined hunter-donated bobwhites from the 2013–2015 hunting seasons in 9 states to document infection prevalence (% of bobwhites [of total n]) and intensity (mean no. of eyeworms ± SE). Four states harbored infected bobwhites: Texas (59.1% [n = 110], 15.6 ± 2.1), Oklahoma (52.1% [n = 121], 6.9 ± 1.2), Virginia (14.8% [n = 27], 2.5 ± 1.0), and Alabama (1.6% [n = 61], 2.0). Prevalence and intensity of eyeworms in the Texas Rolling Plains were greater (P \u3c 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively) than in any other area sampled. Based on our survey, eyeworms are locally prevalent and abundant in bobwhites from the Rolling Plains ecoregion, but virtually nonexistent in many areas that we surveyed

Overhauling the comprehensive exam in the Department of Linguistics: First steps

The Department of Linguistics Comprehensive Exam consists of two Qualifying Papers. In recent years the QPs have fallen out of step with trends in the field, resulting in students struggling to pass. We describe our actions to overhaul our Comprehensive Exams, including clarifying procedures, realigning SLOs, and developing better rubrics

The Enigma of B-type Pulsators in the SMC

Since the early nineties it is accepted that the excitation mechanism of B-type pulsators on the main sequence is due to the opacity peak in the iron-group elements at $T\approx 200,000$ K. The Fe content plays then a major role in the excitation of $\beta$ Cep and SPB pulsations. While theoretical non-adiabatic computations predict no $\beta$ Cep pulsators and only a small number of SPBs for low metallicity environments such as that of the Magellanic Clouds (MCs), recent variability surveys of B stars in the SMC have reported the detection of a significant number of SPB and $\beta$ Cep candidates. Since the SMC is the metal poorest (Z$\approx$0.001-0.004) of the MCs, it constitutes an interesting object for investigating the disagreement between theory and observations. We approach the problem by calling into question some of the hypotheses made in previous studies: given the different chemical evolution of the SMC compared with our local galactic environment, is it appropriate to describe the chemical composition of SMC B stars by scaling the solar mixture to lower $Z$? Is that composition uniform in space and time? In this paper we present the results of a stability analysis of B-type stellar models computed with a revised chemical composition and metallicity specific to the SMC.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, proceeding for "Stellar Pulsation: Challenges for Theory and Observation", Santa Fe 200

Assessing indicant directionality of a media consumption construct using confirmatory tetrad analysis

When assessing the psychometric properties of measures and estimate relations among latent variables, many studies in the social sciences (including marketing) often fail to comprehensively appraise the directionality of indicants. Such failures can lead to model misspecification and inaccurate parameter estimates (Jarvis et al. 2003). In order to further assess the correct directionality of a &lsquo;media consumption&rsquo; construct&rsquo;s indicants, this paper employs confirmatory tetrad analysis (CTA). Previous studies advocate this construct being best viewed as formative. However, our CTA suggests it could be modelled using a reflective orientation. We then conclude the paper drawing recommendations for future studies advocating that when assessing item directionality researchers should implement pre and post hoc tests.<br /