4,715 research outputs found
Passive wireless tags for tongue controlled assistive technology interfaces
Tongue control with low profile, passive mouth tags is demonstrated as a humanâdevice interface by communicating values of tongue-tag
separation over a wireless link. Confusion matrices are provided to demonstrate user accuracy in targeting by tongue position. Accuracy is
found to increase dramatically after short training sequences with errors falling close to 1% in magnitude with zero missed targets. The
rate at which users are able to learn accurate targeting with high accuracy indicates that this is an intuitive device to operate. The
significance of the work is that innovative very unobtrusive, wireless tags can be used to provide intuitive humanâcomputer interfaces
based on low cost and disposable mouth mounted technology. With the development of an appropriate reading system, control of assistive
devices such as computer mice or wheelchairs could be possible for tetraplegics and others who retain fine motor control capability of
their tongues. The tags contain no battery and are intended to fit directly on the hard palate, detecting tongue position in the mouth with
no need for tongue piercings
Walley School Community Arts Center Feasibility Study
The Walley School community arts center initiative began in the fall
of 2011 as a joint project between the Town of Bristol and Roger
Williams Universityâs School of Architecture. Shortly thereafter, the
Gabelli School of Business was asked to development a business case
for the project. Four students in the course âManagement 439: Business
Planningâ took on the Walley School as their team project for
the semester. The business case study was developed in conjunction
with the Town of Bristol, the initiativeâs steering committee, Roger
Williams Universityâs Community Partnerships Center, the School
of Architecture and the School of Construction Management. After
a year of student work and public workshops, the conclusion has
been made that it would be programmatically, architecturally and
financially feasible to reopen the Walley School as a community arts
and education facility for the Town of Bristol
Exploring Russian Cyberspace: Digitally-Mediated Collective Action and the Networked Public Sphere
This paper summarizes the major findings of a three-year research project to investigate the Internet's impact on Russian politics, media and society. We employed multiple methods to study online activity: the mapping and study of the structure, communities and content of the blogosphere; an analogous mapping and study of Twitter; content analysis of different media sources using automated and human-based evaluation approaches; and a survey of bloggers; augmented by infrastructure mapping, interviews and background research. We find the emergence of a vibrant and diverse networked public sphere that constitutes an independent alternative to the more tightly controlled offline media and political space, as well as the growing use of digital platforms in social mobilization and civic action. Despite various indirect efforts to shape cyberspace into an environment that is friendlier towards the government, we find that the Russian Internet remains generally open and free, although the current degree of Internet freedom is in no way a prediction of the future of this contested space
Inspiration for the Future: The Role of Inspiratory Muscle Training in Cystic Fibrosis.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited, multi-system, life-limiting disease characterized by a progressive decline in lung function, which accounts for the majority of CF-related morbidity and mortality. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) has been proposed as a rehabilitative strategy to treat respiratory impairments associated with CF. However, despite evidence of therapeutic benefits in healthy and other clinical populations, the routine application of IMT in CF can neither be supported nor refuted due to the paucity of methodologically rigorous research. Specifically, the interpretation of available studies regarding the efficacy of IMT in CF is hampered by methodological threats to internal and external validity. As such, it is important to highlight the inherent risk of bias that differences in patient characteristics, IMT protocols, and outcome measurements present when synthesizing this literature prior to making final clinical judgments. Future studies are required to identify the characteristics of individuals who may respond to IMT and determine whether the controlled application of IMT can elicit meaningful improvements in physiological and patient-centered clinical outcomes. Given the equivocal evidence regarding its efficacy, IMT should be utilized on a case-by-case basis with sound clinical reasoning, rather than simply dismissed, until a rigorous evidence-based consensus has been reached
Contributor to the November Issue/Notes
Notes by Charles G. Hasson, Robert J. Mahoney, Robert E. Sullivan, John Kelly, John D. O\u27Neill, John M. Anderton, Charles R. Gerard, R. A. Macdonell, William B. Ball, Robert E. Sullivan, and Leonard D. Bodkin
Effect of Triticum turgidum cytoplasm on test weight of soft red winter wheat
The effect of Triticum turgidum cytoplasm on soft red winter wheat (T. aestivum) was studied relative to test weight (bushel weight) and agronomic traits such as heading date, resistance to leaf rust, and plant color. The cytoplasmic effects were studied in three genetic backgrounds by crossing the cultivars Jackson, Pioneer 2684, and Wakefield with a plant introduction PI590277 that carried T. turgidum cytoplasm. Twelve alloplasmic and euplasmic populations were developed through a backcrossing procedure. The study used a micro test weight procedure to compare F4 lines within the populations for test weight. The data for other agronomic traits were taken by field ratings. Statistical analysis showed no significant gain in test weight due to T. turgidum cytoplasm (P=0.32). However, an important effect on leaf-rust reaction was observed. The lines derived from âPioneer 2684â and âWakefieldâ that carried T. turgidum cytoplasm were more resistant to leaf rust than were their respective euplasmic lines. Euplasmic and alloplasmic lines derived from âJacksonâ did not show difference in leaf-rust reaction. A yellow color at harvest and late heading date were observed on alloplasmic lines derived from âPioneer 2684â and âWakefieldâ cultivars. The third cultivar âJacksonâ showed no yellow coloration at harvest
Contributor to the November Issue/Notes
Notes by Charles G. Hasson, Robert J. Mahoney, Robert E. Sullivan, John Kelly, John D. O\u27Neill, John M. Anderton, Charles R. Gerard, R. A. Macdonell, William B. Ball, Robert E. Sullivan, and Leonard D. Bodkin
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