Disreputable Houses of Some Very Reputable Negroes : Paternalism and Segregation of Colonial Williamsburg

This project attempts to intertwine the intentionally separated narratives of the foundation of Colonial Williamsburg and the narrative of Williamsburg\u27s black community

Daily Image Guided Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer: An assessment of treatment plan reproducibility.

It is well documented that for prostate cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy there is a correlation between target volume displacement and changes in bladder and rectal volumes. However, these studies have used a methodology that has captured only a subset of all treatment positions. This research used daily Computer Tomography (CT) imaging to comprehensively assess organ volumes, organ motion and their effect on dose, something that has never been performed previously, thus adding considerably to the understanding of the topic. Daily CT images were obtained using a Siemens Primus Linear Accelerator equipped with an in-room Somatom CT unit in the accelerator suite, marketed as ‘Primatom’, to accurately position the patient prior to treatment delivery. The internal structures of interest were contoured on the planning workstation by the investigator. The daily volume and location of the organs were derived from the computer to assess and analyse internal organ motion. The planned dose distribution was then imported onto the treatment CT datasets and used to compare the planned dose to i) the actual isocentre, where the isocentre was actually placed for that fraction, ii) the uncorrected isocentre, by un-doing any on-line corrections performed by the treatment staff prior to treatment delivery, and iii) the future isocentre, by placing the isocentre relative to internal organ motion on a daily basis. The results of this study did not confirm a statistically significant decrease in rectum volumes over time (hypothesis 1), however large fluctuations in bladder volume were confirmed (hypothesis 2). Internal organ motion for the rectum and bladder was demonstrated to be related to organ filling. Ideal planning volumes for these organs have been reported to minimise systematic and random uncertainty in the treatment volumes. An observed decrease in prostate volume over time, a systematic uncertainty in the location of the prostate at the time of the planning CT scan and a significant relationship between prostate centre of volume and rectum and bladder volumes has resulted in a recommendation that patients should be re-scanned during treatment to ensure appropriate clinical target volume coverage. A significant relationship between rectal and bladder volumes and the dose delivered to these organs was found (hypothesis 3). The dose delivered to the planning target volume was not related to the rectal or bladder volumes, although it was related to the motion of these organs. Despite these results only minimal effects on the dose delivered to any of the three isocentres occurred, indicating that the planned dose was accurately delivered using the methodology presented here (hypothesis 4). However the results do indicate that the patient preparation instructions need to be improved if margins are to be reduced in the future. It is unrealistic to assume that Image Guided Radiation Therapy will ever become routine practice due to infrastructure costs and time limitations. This research will inform radiation therapy centres of the variables associated with prostate cancer treatment on a daily basis, something that has never before been realistically achievable. As a result centres will be able to devise protocols to improve treatment outcomes

Journal Self-Citation XVI: Academic Citations – A Question of Ethics?

This paper examines the common, and highly complex, practice of academic citation use. Inasmuch as citations - and their analysis - are seen as fundamental to the provenance of scientific investigation and publication, they are therefore deserving of a public discourse in how to best ethically frame: (1) citation analysis methodologies; (2) academic citation behavior; and (3) peer review and publisher citation behavior; in the context of their potential to distort the scientific process and intellectual honesty

Living Systems, Complexity & Information Systems Science

The paper examines some of the significant new developments in the epistemological framing of systems theory, and their application within the information and management sciences. Specifically, the article argues that Information Systems (IS) – at its heart a systems-science – requires an ongoing discourse into how the metaphors of ‘living systems’, ‘complex systems’, and ‘complexity’ apply to the theoretical foundations of the IS discipline at large.Pragmatically, the implications of developing a complex and living systems framework to investigate IS phenomena has the capacity to synthesise the very way information systems researchers consider their discipline, and the scientific inquiry of it. The “information system” becomes a decentralised, complex and evolving entity, where notions of chaos theory; system self-organisation; autopoietic and dissipative networks; emergence; entropy; and nonlinear dynamics; provide a rich and novel way to investigate system behaviours, human cognitive behaviours, and the management and business contexts in which those behaviours occur

A Preliminary Introduction to the OTAM: Exploring Users’ Perceptions of their on-going Interaction with Adopted Technologies

A common criticism directed at Davis’ (1986; 1989) Technology Acceptance Model relates to its failure to adequately frame the “experienced” user’s ongoing adoption and exploitation of information technologies. Given the pervasive nature of technology into individual users’ ongoing, everyday communication and information interactions, along with the “new adopter” becoming an increasingly rare entity, the TAM is in danger of becoming a somewhat obsolete framework for investigating user-technology interaction. Presented is a critical analysis of the development and current state of the TAM, followed by a proposed addition to the existing Perceived Usefulness (PU) and Perceived Ease of Use (PEoU) TAM constructs. The paper contends that the inclusion of a Perception of Interaction (PoI) construct allows researchers to develop an investigative framework which facilitates an exploration of users’ ongoing perceptions of the predictability of their technology interaction processes

The conceptual relevance of assessment measures in patients with mild/mild-moderate Alzheimer\u27s disease

Introduction: This study aims to evaluate the conceptual relevance of four measures of disease activity in patients with mild/mild-moderate Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD): (1) the Alzheimer\u27s Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive Subscale; (2) the Alzheimer\u27s Disease Cooperative Study–Activities of Daily Living Inventory; (3) the Neuropsychiatry Inventory; and (4) the Dependence Scale. Methods: A conceptual model depicting patient experience of mild AD was developed via literature review; concepts were compared with the items of the four measures. Relevance of the concepts included in the four measures was evaluated by patients with mild AD in a survey and follow-up interviews. Results: The four measures assessed few of the symptoms/impacts of mild AD identified within the literature. Measured items addressing emotional impacts were deemed most relevant by participants but were included in the measures only superficially. Discussion: The four assessment measures do not appear to capture the concepts most relevant to/important to patients with mild/mild-moderate AD. © 2018 The Author

The Context and Contextual Constructs of Research

This paper presents the Contextual Constructs Model (CCM) and the theory which underpins it, Contextual Constructs Theory (CCT). Developed as part of a complex project designed to investigate user perceptions of Information Quality (IQ) in the context of Web-based Information Retrieval (IR), the CCM is not a single research method per se. Instead, CCT/CCM is a modelled research framework providing an over-arching approach to scientific investigation, by which a researcher is able to identify multiple possible methods of study and analysis according to the identified research constructs and their contexts. Central to CCT is that all research involves the fusion of two key component parts; that of (1) context; and (2) cognitively-driven constructs; and that the co-dependent nature of the relationship between these components inform the research process, development and eventual outcomes. The resulting CCM framework is one which scaffolds research as a contextual process of phases, identifying the conceptual; philosophical, implementation, and evaluation tasks associated with a complex research investigation. The underlying epistemology of such a contextual approach to research is said to be a blend of a critical-real world view within a systems-science approach to investigation

Staff perspectives on the role of English proficiency in providing support services

A case study approach was applied to understand the challenges of offering support services to international students (IS) within a university setting. A social constructivist theoretical framework informed the collection and analysis of data. Perspectives from service providers - general and academic staff members and international students were triangulated. To date, 63 participants have been interviewed and preliminary findings show that although international students encounter a number of academic and socio-cultural difficulties during university transition, many do not access support services offered by university for various reasons including; perceived language and cultural barriers, unawareness, feeling uncomfortable; and avoiding any stigma associated with help-seeking. The data shows service providers too have reported difficulties when working with international students, such as cultural and language barriers, lack of staff, funding and training. The focus of the current paper will be on one of the major themes explicating these tensions, namely English proficiency which acts as a pervasive barrier for both staff service provision and students service utilisation. Implications of findings, recommendations for universities and direction for future research will be discussed in reference to this theme

The Earned Income Tax Credit and Rural Families: Differences between Participants and Non-participants

The differences between rural low-income mothers who were participants and non-participants in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) were examined. One-third of the 224 eligible mothers in a multi-state study did not claim the tax credit. Non-participants were more likely to be Hispanic, less educated, with larger families, borrowing money from family, and living in more rural counties. Participating mothers, on the other hand, were more food secure, perceived their household income as being adequate, reported recent improvements in their economic situation, were satisfied with life, and lived in states with a state EITC. Analysis of qualitative data revealed that rural mothers had many misconceptions about the EITC. These findings contribute to family and economic professionals’ understanding of why rural low-income families do not participate in the tax credit and assist in formulating policies and education/outreach efforts that would increase their participationEITC non-participants, EITC participants, rural low-income mothers, state EITC, rural low-income families