Deaf international students at RIT/NTID and their perceptions about learning English

Deaf international students are a vital part of the student population at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Those students arrive at RIT with a variety of English skills and at various levels. The objective of this study is to investigate how deaf international students improve their English skills once they arrive at RIT /NTID. Did they improve their English skills through Spoken American English, American Sign Systems (i.e. American Sign Language and/or Signed English), and/or English classes from NTID/RIT? Furthermore, participants were asked how they felt about learning English and if their feelings changed while attending NTID/RIT. Participants were selected by responding to a formal e-mail announcing the nature of this study and its goal. Data were collected, analyzed and placed into thematic categories related to learning English, communication styles and feelings about improving their English. Findings show that, unlike American deaf students (Meath-Lang, 1980), deaf international students have generally positive experiences related to learning English. However, their responses indicate confusing views about using sign language

Decisions and sensemaking in the uncertain environment of oil industry

Masteroppgave i Energy management - Nord universitet, 201

Co-morbid Diagnostic Profiles of Individuals with Schizophrenia

This report presents the frequency at which physical conditions appear in patients with schizophrenia as well as those without any reported psychiatric disorders. The trends of this data set shows that specific physical disorders (i.e. cardiovascular disease) may present at a higher percentage in those with schizophrenia compared to those with no psychiatric disorder. Results are based on a dataset of registration information for 16,359 individuals with schizophrenia. The physical diagnosis frequencies were calculated for a 16 fiscal year period (1994-2010). A second group was generated based on physician records of those without any psychiatric disorder. The highest frequencies of co-morbid physical disorders in individuals with schizophrenia are sprains and strains of the lumbar and thoracic regions at 5.71% and 5.20% respectively. However, these also presented at >1% of physical illnesses in patients without psychiatric disorders. Cardiovascular disease appeared at a percentage of 2.83% physical disorders in patients with schizophrenia as opposed to 0.10% in those without any mental health disorder. Review of recent literature was conducted to find possible reasoning for the higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease in those with Schizophrenia. Findings from this report suggest a correlation between some physical disorders and schizophrenia. In the case of cardiovascular disease and consequently higher financial costs and mortality rates, this creates implications for more attentive treatment and preventive measures for such somatic disorders in those with schizophrenia.

Classification of Elliptic Cubic Curves Over The Finite Field of Order Nineteen

Plane cubics curves may be classified up to isomorphism or projective equivalence. In this paper, the inequivalent elliptic cubic curves which are non-singular plane cubic curves have been classified projectively over the finite field of order nineteen, and determined if they are complete or incomplete as arcs of degree three. Also, the maximum size of a complete elliptic curve that can be constructed from each incomplete elliptic curve are given

The geometry of the plane of order nineteen and its application to error-correcting codes

In the projective space PG(k−1; q) over Fq, the finite field of order q, an (n; r)-arc K is a set of n points with at most r on a hyperplane and there is some hyperplane meeting K in exactly r points. An arc is complete if it is maximal with respect to inclusion. The arc K corresponds to a projective [n; k;n − r]q-code of length n, dimension k, and minimum distance n − r; if K is a complete arc, then the corresponding projective code cannot be extended. In this thesis, the n-sets in PG(1; 19) up to n = 10 and the n-arcs in PG(2; 19) for 4 B n B 20 in both the complete and incomplete cases are classified. The set of rational points of a non-singular, plane cubic curve can be considered as an arc of degree three. Over F19, these curves are classified, and the maximum size of the complete arc of degree three that can be constructed from each such incomplete arc is given

Isolation of Trichophyton mentogrophytes var mentogrophytes from naturally infected laboratory albino rats: experimental infection and treatment in rabbits

The present study demonstrated for the first time the occurrence of dermatophytosis in naturally infected rats and from asymptomatic and from breeding boxes of white rats kept in animal housing of college of Veterinary Medicine, University of Dohuk, Iraq. The prevalence rate of infection was (28%), clinically infected rats characterized by appearance of scaly ovoid type lesions with crusty edge and patch of hair loss mostly seen on the back, neck and face of the infected rats, itching was reported in some rats. Only one species of the trichophyton, T. mentogrophytes var mentogrophytes was isolated with growth rate (85.71%) of samples collected from clinically infected rats, and (28.57%) from asymptomatic and from breeding cages, the growth was observed within the 21 days at 25ºC on Sabouraud's Dextrose Agar. Lacto phenol cotton blue staining slides of T. mentogrophytes var mentogrophytes revealed both microconidia and macroconidia. Microconidia found in numerous numbers often in dense cluster which were hyaline, smooth walled and predominantly spherical to sub spherical in shape, varying numbers of chlamydoconidia. Spiral hyphae and smooth, thin walled clavate shaped multicelled macroconidia were also present. The study also dealt with experimental infection in rabbits with T. mentogrophytes var mentogrophytes and treated by two drugs, natural herbal preparation of acidic pomegranate (Punica granatum) fruit and synthetic nystatine ointment. The complete recovery of lesions was recorded after 14 days and 21 days of topical application of a pomegranate and nystatine ointment for 5 successive days respectively

Prevalence of Sarcocystis Species (Sarcocystis ovicanis and Sarcocystis capricanis) in Tongue Muscle of Sheep and Goats in Duhok Province, Kurdistan Region, North Iraq

Sarcocystis species are coccidian protozoan parasites of the phylum apicomplexa. The prevalence of Sarcocystis species (Sarcocystis ovicanis and Sarcocystis capricanis) in tongue muscle of sheep and goats that collected from abattoir and outside of abattoir (at Butchers Markets) in Duhok province was determined for the first time during the period of 4 months from September 01, 2014, to January 03, 2015. Three techniques were applied for this purpose. Direct scotch cellophane adhesive tape test, muscle mincing and squash method, and pepsin digestion technique. The overall prevalence was 97% in sheep and 100% in goats. No significant difference (p>0.05) was obtained between male and female of both species. Histopathological analysis revealed different size and shape of microcysts with thick cyst wall, in addition to mild histological changes

Stabilization of proteins embedded in sugars and water as studied by dielectric spectroscopy

In many products proteins have become an important component, and the long-term properties of these products are directly dependent on the stability of their proteins. To enhance this stability it has become common to add disaccharides in general, and trehalose in particular. However, the mechanisms by which disaccharides stabilize proteins and other biological materials are still not fully understood, and therefore we have here used broadband dielectric spectroscopy to investigate the stabilizing effect of the disaccharides trehalose and sucrose on myoglobin, with the aim to enhance this understanding in general and to obtain specific insights into why trehalose exhibits extraordinary stabilizing properties. The results show the existence of three or four clearly observed relaxation processes, where the three common relaxations are the local (β) water relaxation below the glass transition temperature (Tg), the structuralα-relaxation of the solvent, observed aboveTg, and an even slower protein relaxation due to large-scale conformational protein motions. For the trehalose containing samples with less than 50 wt% myoglobin a fourth relaxation process was observed due to a β-relaxation of trehalose belowTg. This latter process, which was assigned to intramolecular rotations of the monosaccharide rings in trehalose, could not be detected for high protein concentrations or for the sucrose containing samples. Since sucrose has previously been found to form more intramolecular hydrogen bonds at the present hydration levels, it is likely that this rotation becomes too slow to be observed in the case of sucrose. However, this sugar relaxation has probably less influence on the protein stability belowTg, where the better stabilizing effect of trehalose on proteins can be explained by our observation that trehalose slows down the water relaxation more than sucrose does. Finally, we show that the α-relaxation of the solvent and the large-scale protein motions exhibit similar temperature dependences, which suggests that these protein motions are slaved by the α-relaxation. Furthermore, the α-relaxation of the trehalose solution is slower than for the corresponding sucrose solution, and thereby also the protein motions become slower in the trehalose solution, which explains the more efficient stabilizing effect of trehalose on proteins aboveT

Developed Clustering Algorithms for Engineering Applications: A Review

Clustering algorithms play a pivotal role in the field of engineering, offering valuable insights into complex datasets. This review paper explores the landscape of developed clustering algorithms with a focus on their applications in engineering. The introduction provides context for the significance of clustering algorithms, setting the stage for an in-depth exploration. The overview section delineates fundamental clustering concepts and elucidates the workings of these algorithms. Categorization of clustering algorithms into partitional, hierarchical, and density-based forms lay the groundwork for a comprehensive discussion. The core of the paper delves into an extensive review of clustering algorithms tailored for engineering applications. Each algorithm is scrutinized in dedicated subsections, unraveling their specific contributions, applications, and advantages. A comparative analysis assesses the performance of these algorithms, delineating their strengths and limitations. Trends and advancements in the realm of clustering algorithms for engineering applications are thoroughly examined. The review concludes with a reflection on the challenges faced by existing clustering algorithms and proposes avenues for future research. This paper aims to provide a valuable resource for researchers, engineers, and practitioners, guiding them in the selection and application of clustering algorithms for diverse engineering scenarios