A study of the nature of the interaction between non-medical personnel and psychiatric patients

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

College Choice and Enrollment among Youth Formerly in Foster Care

Despite being among the most disadvantaged groups with respect to college access and success in the United States, youth formerly in foster care (YFFC) remain an understudied population in higher education research. Although they aspire to college at high levels, youth in foster care enjoy less postsecondary access and success than their peers who have not experienced foster care. This study seeks to better understand how YFFC compare to their peers regarding college preparation, choice, enrollment, and financing; academic self-concept and degree aspirations; and concerns about paying for college. Using Perna\u27s (2008) college choice model and data from the 2016 The Freshman Survey (TFS), we conduct bivariate comparisons and regression analysis to compare college readiness and enrollment between YFFC and non-YFFC who are first-time, full-time freshmen. We report the results of our findings and discuss how these contribute to existing research and apply to the financial and educational needs and strengths of YFFC

Purposeful Interventions for Older Adults Post-Joint Replacement Surgery: An Evidence-Based Project

The overall focus of each of case scenarios are related to assessment or interventions that are related to Choosing Wisely Campaign items 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 10. Case scenarios were developed related to each initiative with clientele and conditions across the lifespan in various practice settings. Practice settings included school district, outpatient pediatric, primary care, skilled nursing facility, work rehabilitation, and acute care

ShapeBots: Shape-changing Swarm Robots

We introduce shape-changing swarm robots. A swarm of self-transformable robots can both individually and collectively change their configuration to display information, actuate objects, act as tangible controllers, visualize data, and provide physical affordances. ShapeBots is a concept prototype of shape-changing swarm robots. Each robot can change its shape by leveraging small linear actuators that are thin (2.5 cm) and highly extendable (up to 20cm) in both horizontal and vertical directions. The modular design of each actuator enables various shapes and geometries of self-transformation. We illustrate potential application scenarios and discuss how this type of interface opens up possibilities for the future of ubiquitous and distributed shape-changing interfaces.Comment: UIST 201

DualStream: Spatially Sharing Selves and Surroundings using Mobile Devices and Augmented Reality

In-person human interaction relies on our spatial perception of each other and our surroundings. Current remote communication tools partially address each of these aspects. Video calls convey real user representations but without spatial interactions. Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR) experiences are immersive and spatial but often use virtual environments and characters instead of real-life representations. Bridging these gaps, we introduce DualStream, a system for synchronous mobile AR remote communication that captures, streams, and displays spatial representations of users and their surroundings. DualStream supports transitions between user and environment representations with different levels of visuospatial fidelity, as well as the creation of persistent shared spaces using environment snapshots. We demonstrate how DualStream can enable spatial communication in real-world contexts, and support the creation of blended spaces for collaboration. A formative evaluation of DualStream revealed that users valued the ability to interact spatially and move between representations, and could see DualStream fitting into their own remote communication practices in the near future. Drawing from these findings, we discuss new opportunities for designing more widely accessible spatial communication tools, centered around the mobile phone.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 1 table; To appear in the proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR) 202

Antipredatory Escape Behaviors of Two Benthic Ctenophores in South Florida

Benthic ctenophores, members of the family Coeloplanidae (Order Platyctenida, Phylum Ctenophora) are more widespread and abundant in tropical and subtropical marine environments than formerly recognized. Coeloplanid ctenophores are members of the most speciose family of benthic ctenophores, with 33 recognized species of Coeloplana and one species of the genus Vallicula (Mills 1998). The majority of coeloplanids are ectosymbionts of algae and diverse benthic invertebrates (Matsumoto 1999, Alamaru et al. 2015). Hundreds to thousands of individuals can occupy preferred habitats in \u3c 1 m2 of substrate patches. Galt (1998) noted Vallicula multiformis inhabiting algae in Hawaii at population densities as high as 10,000 individuals m−2. Also, in South Florida Glynn et al. (2017) observed 100s of individuals of V. multiformis inhabiting macroalgae, and 1,000 to 1,500 individuals of Coeloplana waltoni on octocoral stems

Rab27a Contributes to the Processing of Inflammatory Pain in Mice

Tissue injury and inflammation may result in chronic pain, a severe debilitating disease that is associated with great impairment of quality of life. An increasing body of evidence indicates that members of the Rab family of small GTPases contribute to pain processing; however, their specific functions remain poorly understood. Here, we found using immunofluorescence staining and in situ hybridization that the small GTPase Rab27a is highly expressed in sensory neurons and in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord of mice. Rab27a mutant mice, which carry a single-nucleotide missense mutation of Rab27a leading to the expression of a nonfunctional protein, show reduced mechanical hyperalgesia and spontaneous pain behavior in inflammatory pain models, while their responses to acute noxious mechanical and thermal stimuli is not affected. Our study uncovers a previously unrecognized function of Rab27a in the processing of persistent inflammatory pain in mice.publishersversionpublishe

Stability of Single Particle Tracers for Differentiating Between Heavy- and Light-Duty Vehicle Emissions

To determine the size and chemical composition of particles derived from on-road vehicle emissions, individual particles were sampledcontinuously with an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) at the Caldecott Tunnel in Northern California. In this tunnel, traffic is segregated, such that in theory only light duty vehicle emissions or a mix of heavy- (HDV) and light-duty vehicle (LDV) emissions can be sampled separately. Two studies were carried out, one in November 1997 anda secondin July 2000, time periods with average ambient temperatures of 10–15 and 26–32 1C, respectively, with the instrument operating at ambient outdoor temperatures. Analysis of the chemical composition of the particles sampled in these studies shows that sampling conditions can strongly impact the determination of suitable markers for identifying particles emitted from different vehicle types during ambient studies

The Designosaur and the Furniture Factory: simple software for fast fabrication.

Abstract. We describe two domain oriented design tools that help novice designers design three-dimensional models that they can build using rapid manufacturing equipment. By embedding domain and manufacturing knowledge in the software and providing a sketching interface, novice designers can acquire and practice skills in modeling and manufacturing, without first having to master complicated CAD tools. From sketching to fabrication: simple design tools for making things INTRODUCTION We want to make it easy for ordinary people, especially children, to design and manufacture three-dimensional models using planar components as an entrée to learning to design. We believe that the experience of designing and making things is a powerful vehicle for learning. For many people, designing and making something can be rewarding and engaging, and, we think, can motivate more general learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Further, we think that in its own right, designing is an intellectual capacity that, once acquired in one domain, can be widely applied. Sadly, many people view design as an innate talent for creativity that they lack. Our project to build lightweight software to engage young people and naïve users in designing and manufacturing simple 3-D models aims to open the door to design and the rich universe of learning that design affords. Three-dimensional physical models are powerful devices that help people see and understand designs. One can hold a physical model in the hand, take it apart, and reassemble it, perhaps in different ways. This ability to interact physically with a model and its parts is important, we think, for thinking about a design; and the experience of designing with 3-D models teaches spatial skills that designers cannot easily acquire through other means such as drawing or computer graphics modeling. Making models in the traditional way demands considerable manual skill and dexterity, for example cutting wood parts with a razor knife. The advent and adoption of rapid prototyping and manufacturing (RPM) machinery has made it possible for ordinary designers, students, and even children, to produce physical artifacts using computational means. Although most RPM hardware is as simple to use as a printer, the software tools that designers use to produce representations for output require a great deal of expertise. To produce a 3-D model designers must create a computer graphic representation. Typically designers do this using powerful general-purpose CAD modeling tools that impose a significant learning curve. Requiring of professional designers this degree of sophistication and expertise may be acceptable; however, the tools bar entry to casual and novice users