Measurements of the vertical profile of water vapor abundance in the Martian atmosphere from Mars Observer

An analysis is presented of the Pressure Modulator Infrared Radiometer (PMIRR) capabilities along with how the vertical profiles of water vapor will be obtained. The PMIRR will employ filter and pressure modulation radiometry using nine spectral channels, in both limb scanning and nadir sounding modes, to obtain daily, global maps of temperature, dust extinction, condensate extinction, and water vapor mixing ratio profiles as a function of pressure to half scale height or 5 km vertical resolution. Surface thermal properties will also be mapped, and the polar radiactive balance will be monitored

A Comparative Analysis of the Impact of New Technology Implementation on Organizational Structure and Corporate Decision-Making

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science & Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Industrial Technology by Michelle L. McCleese in the Spring of 2005

The Effects of Culture on Sleep Paralysis Experiences

Literature on sleep paralysis in the anthropological world is surprisingly hard to find. There is a small group of authors who have studied the phenomenon in depth, and so the amount of differing perspectives and hypothesis are limited in the academic world. Because these episodes are so easily explained away as superstition or folklore, they are often skimmed over in many ethnographic studies. Unfortunately, this also holds true in the western world. Sleep paralysis is often interpreted by sufferers as a spiritual experience, but because of preexisting concepts influenced by the prevalence of western protestant ideas, many do not share these experiences due to a fear of being categorized as mentally ill. The United States also has no traditional culture term for the experience of sleep paralysis, which, when combined with the fear of being labelled as ‘crazy,’ leads to a significant drop in reported incidence rate. In countries in which there are established cultural terms and often folklore surrounding these experiences, they are common knowledge and part of the fabric of everyday life. This does not make them any less traumatizing when the episodes do occur. In many cases, these episodes are explained as supernatural intervention in the lives of humans. Demons, spirits, and night hags are the most common culprits, and these are cemented with strongly held beliefs that the supernatural exists in our own reality. It cannot be argued that sleep paralysis is definitely influenced by the culture of the experiencer, but there is some disagreement among anthropologists, psychologists, and others studying the phenomenon as to how much one’s cultural background may shape their experiences. In most studies, preliminary research is done on what the local folkloric background is related to sleep paralysis. These almost always identify a set pattern of symptoms associated with the sleep disorder. While some have argued in the past that these episodes are part of a culture bound illness, many researchers believe that although many cultures have different understandings of these biological processes, they are all experiencing the same event with the same symptoms. Once it became more accepted that this sleep disorder was common worldwide, it was hypothesized that the differences in sensation, hallucination, and feelings could be explained by ingrained cultural concepts which are projected during the episode. For example, if someone had been raised in a specific rural area in Brazil, listening to stories about the Pisadeira their entire lives, they may experience the Pisadeira attacking them during their sleep paralysis episode. This hypothesis seems straight forward and makes sense, until you factor in Hufford’s observations, which point out that- even though some sleep paralysis episodes do seem to work this way- it does not explain how Americans with no cultural knowledge or explanation of sleep paralysis and no religious affiliations are experiencing sleep paralysis and interpreting the episodes as spiritual experiences. Hufford also observes that, rather than this biological event becoming inspired by the culture around the person and their previously held beliefs, these events lead people to create their own spiritual beliefs afterwards. Instead of a product of religion and spiritualism, these events inspire them. It is also observed that individuals who know how sleep paralysis works physiologically and understand the phenomenon from a scientific aspect can still hold spiritual beliefs surrounding their experience at the same time. This leads to the theory that how we perceive and conceptualize pertaining to science and spirituality may not necessarily be the way we have always assumed- as opposites. The study of this phenomenon in relation to culture, psychology, and how humans understand otherworldly experiences may teach us much more about how our own minds work

Lifecycle Energy and Air Emission Differences between Electric and Internal Combustion Vehicles

The U.S. Federal Government has encouraged shifting from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to electric vehicles (EVs) with three objectives, reducing foreign oil dependence, greenhouse gas emissions, and criteria pollutant emissions. This thesis uses Monte Carlo simulation to predict lifecycle emissions and energy consumption differences per kilometer driven from replacing ICEVs with three EV options: lead acid, nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd), and nickel metal hydride (NiMH). All three EV options reduce U.S. foreign oil dependence by shifting to domestic coal. The probabilities that lifecycle energy consumption per km driven improve are lead acid 76%, Ni-Cd 64%, and NiMH 90%. The probabilities that EV substitution reduce global warming gas emissions are lead acid 41%, Ni-Cd 34%, and NiMH 64%. All three EV options increase sulfur oxides emissions. The probability that EV substitution will decrease nitrogen oxides emissions is only 12-14%. The probability that EV substitution reduces particulate matter emissions is less than one percent. The probability that EV substitution reduces volatile organic carbon emissions is lead acid 66%, Ni-Cd 98%, and NiMH 100%. Probabilities indicate that EVs will reduce foreign oil dependence, volatile organic carbon and lead emissions. However the other air emissions will increase and greenhouse gas emissions remain relatively unchanged

Flux of water vapor in the terrestrial stratosphere and in the Martian atmosphere

A summary of the terrestrial satellite data is presented. The observations indicate that at equatorial latitudes, relatively dry air is introduced at the tropopause and carried to the upper stratosphere. At that altitude, any methane present in the ascending air mass is oxidized photochemically into water vapor. This vapor is eventually transported to high latitudes, where it is carried to the lower stratosphere by the descending leg of the diabatic circulation. The Pressure Modulator Infrared Radiometer instrument aboard the Mars Observer should provide a comparable picture of vapor transport in the martian atmosphere

Mapping rural literacy sponsorship networks : literacy infrastructures and perceptions in Abbyville.

Recently, the academy has become aware that rural students are choosing to attend institutions of higher education less often than their urban counterparts. Rationalizing why this particular population remains underserved by institutions of higher learning is a new conversation for higher education. And yet, in literacy studies, the perceived urban/rural divide in terms of national politics sometimes seeps into conversations about the perceived “literacy” or culture of rural peoples. This polarization, unaccompanied by detailed portraits of rural community literacy sponsorship, means that rural areas do not benefit from the consistent attention paid to their urban counterparts in New Literacy Studies. In this project, these larger issues of rural representation are meshed with recent calls for more research into literacy sponsorship networks: in particular, calls more detailed pictures of the networks of literacy sponsorship in which those sponsors are located. This pilot project responds to both of the issues above by offering a concrete mapping methodology in the hopes of encouraging replication by other scholars. In particular, the project forwards research by providing a specific, multiple-methods study focused on mapping the literacy sponsorship network in a single rural community located in the mid-South. Chapter 1 grounds the study in New Literacy Studies, rural contexts, and complexity theories; Chapter 2 details methodological setup, researcher positionality, and visual mapping elements. Chapter 3 paints over the initial visualization by emphasizing narrative detail of current collaborative literacy sponsorship activities in the community of study. Chapter 4 complicates these collaborations, detailing how multiple cultural aspects affect the operations of community collaborations, particular in terms of access to literacy sponsorship roles. Ultimately, this study advances research in literacy sponsorship networks, proposing a new concrete methodological approach for mapping the complexity of an individual literacy sponsorship network and providing a more detailed portrait of a single rural network

Improving the rates of smoking history documentation in the electronic medical record.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States, and Kentucky leads the nation in lung cancer deaths. Lung cancer care also contributes billions of dollars a year to the cost of health care in this country. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer screening with a grade B recommendation, which is a covered service under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidelines. In order to qualify, patients must have an appropriately documented smoking history. A primary care office was identified within a major healthcare system in Northern Kentucky that has an existing lung cancer screening program. It was found that patient smoking history information was not being properly documented in the electronic medical record (EMR). A quality improvement program was implemented. The program included a lunchtime educational presentation regarding lung cancer screening requirements and appropriate smoking history documentation in the EMR. Analysis revealed that staff members had a high rate of satisfaction with the program overall but were not as satisfied with implementing the educational program during their lunch break. The impact on smoking history documentation rates was unable to be interpreted due to an unforeseen change in the process for entering referrals into the EMR, which occurred 14 days after implementation of this educational intervention

An Essay Comparing and Contrasting Different Medical Issue on Opposite Ends of the Spectrum of Health Care

In healthcare, there are a plethora of issues that vary in diagnosis and treatment and are present in many different cultures and age groups. We reviewed the topics of sleep paralysis and childhood cataracts, and found that there is a correlation between impoverished cultures who struggle with a lack of resources and adequate medical care that affects both of these topics. In countries where there is less development, the technology is not available to educate or treat patients. Culture shapes the lifestyles of different group of individuals worldwide. From belief systems to available resources, culture often increases the effects of a disorder, making it more debilitating than necessary. In sleep paralysis, the religious beliefs with which one is raised affects the severity of the episodes. These beliefs can contribute to a lack of medical care, which then leads to the culmination of debilitating effects of the disorder. This commonly leads to more severe outcomes than in countries where more medical care and education is available. Patients from more developed countries and who have access to education often experience more mild episodes, as they can be treated and diagnosed, thereby gaining some understanding of the disorder. In underdeveloped areas, however, patients are more likely to have heart conditions and greater stress levels because of the tension of these belief systems, causing them to attach to their experiences due to ignorance of the issue. Culture is also a determining factor for children developing cataracts. Those in developing nations often lack certain vitamins, such as vitamin A, C, and E, B12, biotin, iron, and zinc that are typically found in an average person’s daily diet. Since these underdeveloped countries do not have these vitamins, many eye related issues will arise, leading to a higher number of patients, often children, with the onset of cataract formation. The absence of nutrients is critical for these populations. This absence affects a child’s ability to get an education, work, and so much more. Another similarity between sleep paralysis and childhood cataracts is the use of technology, both in availability and testing. For example, both conditions involve the use of measurement equipment in order to find treatment. When first diagnosing a cataract, an eye care provider would perform a slit-lamp examination to observe the imparities of the eye. An ultrasound of the eye is done on a cataract patients to discover what type of artificial lens (IOL) would best be suited for that individual. After the invasive cataract surgery is complete, most children with access to the necessary healthcare can live a normal life. Those unfortunate individuals who are not able to get the proper resources, or even get the cataract removed, may continue to have eye issues the rest of their lives. Sleep paralysis requires highly invasive testing through expensive and complex technology as well. This testing usually involves the use of EEG or EKG techniques to measure and record brain activity. These measurements are later analysed and used to determine why the brain is not functioning correctly. Once the root of the problem is found through these techniques, the mental health issues or disorders causing sleep paralysis can be treated much more efficiently in a way that is tailored to the specific patient. In developing countries where access to this technology is nonexistent, these opportunities for better treatment are not available to patients. Childhood cataracts is a profound issue in developing nations where resources for prevention are scarce. The general public should gain an awareness on the impacts of many factors contributing to childhood cataracts in order to limit the number of children with visual losses. More research, which may open the door to more access to treatment in the developing world, could in turn decrease the number of eye surgeries and blindness worldwide. Along with childhood cataracts, sleep paralysis shares this problem. If cultures where this disorder causes fatalities had more education, the fear and harm it causes would be significantly decreased. Patients with more information on both of these issues find them much more treatable, with less harmful impact on their everyday lives

Early Historical Aspects of Adult Literacy: Particularly in Rowan County, Kentucky and How Adult Education is Linked to Morehead State University

An applied project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Education Specialist at Morehead State University by Joy F. Cecil and Jackie McCleese on July 18, 2011