Ecological Impacts of the Proposed Reconstruction of KY 92 in McCreary and Whitley Counties, Kentucky

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science by Peggy A. Measel on April 29, 1998

Paw

The combined traumas of myself and my father surrounding his suffering from ALS

Fat Infiltration and Pressure Ulcers in Wheelchair Users

Individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are at a higher risk for secondary complications, such as pressure ulcers and muscular atrophy. Fat infiltration commonly occurs in SCI individuals, and although it is prevalent, the infiltration process still remains largely unknown. Early pilot studies have found that fat infiltration is a risk factor to pressure ulcer development. Additionally, fat infiltration has found to decrease muscle quality and increase insulin resistance. This study’s goal was to identify subject characteristics that are associated with fat infiltration and to determine if fat infiltration is in fact related to pressure ulcers. Forty-four subjects, who primarily use wheelchairs for mobility, were recruited for this study, and FONAR Upright MRI scans were taken of their buttocks. An MRI analyzation software was utilized to segment the gluteus maximus and adipose of each subject and extract their MRI intensities. The effect size was used to quantify fat infiltration, and the quantity of fat infiltration and subject characteristics were analyzed by linear and binary logistic regression models. With respect to the subject characteristics, a stepwise regression produced a model with two predictors of fat infiltration, years of wheelchair use (p=0.002) and spasticity (p=0.004). The model showed that subjects were likely to become fully fat infiltrated after around 25 years of wheelchair use, but spasms tended to give subjects an additional 25 years, buffering the fat infiltration rate. However, the relationship between fat infiltration and SCI-Adjusted BMI category (p=0.096) was weak. Contrary to previous research, there was no relationship between fat infiltration and pressure ulcer history (p=0.311). However, if individuals who were completely infiltrated (n=7) (i.e. ,the muscle is indistinguishable from the adipose) were excluded, individuals with pressure ulcer history had more fat infiltration (p=0.004). Overall, this study was unable to find a direct correlation between fat infiltration and pressure ulcers. However, it speculated the idea that fully fat infiltrated subjects may have a different pathology of fat infiltration, and it presented a new potential protective factor, spasms, which may help healthcare professionals predict pressure ulcer occurrence and should be further researched to see the physiological effects.Undergraduat

Wireless Communications in Reverberant Environments

Implementation of WLANs in reverberant environments, such as industrial facilities, naval vessels, aircraft, and spacecraft, has proven challenging, because rich electromagnetic scattering can degrade link quality through multipath interference. As a result, the adoption of Wireless LANs in these environments has been slow. Previous studies concerning reverberant environments have focused on characterizing electromagnetic properties for the purpose of electromagnetic compatibility testing. Little attention has been given to the performance of wireless communications. In this effort, the effect of electromagnetic reverberance on wireless communications is investigated in order to assess the feasibility of WLAN deployment. Work centered around two experimental measurement campaigns. The first campaign was per- formed in coupled reverberation chambers. The reverberation chambers provided a controllable environment which was configured to emulate the reverberance of below-deck spaces on a naval ves- sel. The process for quantifying and configuring the electromagnetic properties of a reverberation chamber is presented. The second campaign was performed on a naval vessel. Experimentation was conducted in a variety of locations on the ship. Locations were selected to represent a wide range of practical environments. Across both campaigns, several environment and node parameters were evaluated: level of reverberance, cavity coupling (effective aperture size), and LOS versus NLOS links. Additionally, advanced physical layer schemes and reconfigurable antennas are presented as methods to improve performance and mitigate multipath interference. To perform this work, a mea- surement platform and testing protocol were developed for systematic characterization of wireless communications in reverberant environments. The primary contributions of this work are empirical characterization of wireless communications in reverberant environments, approaches to improving the performance of wireless communications in presence of high levels of multipath interference, and a methodology for experimentation in reverberant environments.Ph.D., Electrical Engineering -- Drexel University, 201

Radiation and shielding study for the International Ultraviolet Explorer

Technical advisory services to ensure integrity of parts and material exposed to energetic particle radiation for the IUE scientific instruments, spacecraft, and subsystems are provided. A significant potential for interference, degradation, or failure for unprotected or sensitive items was found. Vulnerable items were identified, and appropriate tests, changes, and shields were defined

The Relationship Between Teacher Influence, And Levels Of Thinking Of Second Grade Teachers And Pupils.

PhDEducationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/185116/2/6807669.pd