Mental Status and Functional Behavior In Male Geriatric Patients

It was the goal of this study to examine the ecological validity of a number of measures of mental status for geriatric individuals. Subjects were 40 alert, ambulatory male VA patients. Mental status instruments included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) and the Vocabulary subtest of the WAIS-R. Measures of functional behavior included the Woodcock-Johnson Scales of Independent Behavior (SIB) and the Parachek Geriatric Behavior Rating Scale (PGBRS). Significant relationships were found between the MMSE and the SIB, between the WMS and the SIB, and between the WMS and the PGBRS. It was found that estimation of functional behavior can be enhanced significantly through the use of battery of mental status instruments

High Accuracy Fuel Flowmeter, Phase 1

Technology related to aircraft fuel mass - flowmeters was reviewed to determine what flowmeter types could provide 0.25%-of-point accuracy over a 50 to one range in flowrates. Three types were selected and were further analyzed to determine what problem areas prevented them from meeting the high accuracy requirement, and what the further development needs were for each. A dual-turbine volumetric flowmeter with densi-viscometer and microprocessor compensation was selected for its relative simplicity and fast response time. An angular momentum type with a motor-driven, spring-restrained turbine and viscosity shroud was selected for its direct mass-flow output. This concept also employed a turbine for fast response and a microcomputer for accurate viscosity compensation. The third concept employed a vortex precession volumetric flowmeter and was selected for its unobtrusive design. Like the turbine flowmeter, it uses a densi-viscometer and microprocessor for density correction and accurate viscosity compensation

Resolution Enhancement in Magnetic Resonance Imaging by Frequency Extrapolation

This thesis focuses on spatial resolution enhancement of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In particular, it addresses methods of performing such enhancement in the Fourier domain. After a brief review of Fourier theory, the thesis reviews the physics of the MRI acquisition process in order to introduce a mathematical model of the measured data. This model is later used to develop and analyze methods for resolution enhancement, or "super-resolution'', in MRI. We then examine strategies of performing super-resolution MRI (SRMRI). We begin by exploring strategies that use multiple data sets produced by spatial translations of the object being imaged, to add new information to the reconstruction process. This represents a more detailed mathematical examination of the author's Master's work at the University of Calgary. Using our model of the measured data developed earlier in the thesis, we describe how the acquisition strategy determines the efficacy of the SRMRI process that employs multiple data sets. The author then explores the self-similarity properties of MRI data in the Fourier domain as a means of performing spatial resolution enhancement. To this end, a fractal-based method over (complex-valued) Fourier Transforms of functions with compact spatial support, derived from a fractal transform in the spatial domain, is explored. It is shown that this method of "Iterated Fourier Transform Systems" (IFTS) can be tailored to perform frequency extrapolation, hence spatial resolution enhancement. The IFTS method, however, is limited in scope, as it assumes that a spatial function f(x) may be approximated by linear combinations of spatially-contracted and range-modified copies of the entire function. In order to improve the approximation, we borrow from traditional fractal image coding in the spatial domain, where subblocks of an image are approximated by other subblocks, and employ such a block-based strategy in the Fourier domain. An examination of the statistical properties of subblock approximation errors shows that, in general, Fourier data can be locally self-similar. Furthermore, we show that such a block-based self-similarity method is actually equivalent to a special case of the auto-regressive moving average (ARMA) modeling method. The thesis concludes with a chapter on possible future research directions in SRMRI

Effects of Cyanobacterial Lipopolysaccharides from Microcystis on Glutathione-Based Detoxification Pathways in the Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryo

Cyanobacteria (“blue-green algae”) are recognized producers of a diverse array of toxic secondary metabolites. Of these, the lipopolysaccharides (LPS), produced by all cyanobacteria, remain to be well investigated. In the current study, we specifically employed the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo to investigate the effects of LPS from geographically diverse strains of the widespread cyanobacterial genus, Microcystis, on several detoxifying enzymes/pathways, including glutathione-S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx)/glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT), and compared observed effects to those of heterotrophic bacterial (i.e., E. coli) LPS. In agreement with previous studies, cyanobacterial LPS significantly reduced GST in embryos exposed to LPS in all treatments. In contrast, GPx moderately increased in embryos exposed to LPS, with no effect on reciprocal GR activity. Interestingly, total glutathione levels were elevated in embryos exposed to Microcystis LPS, but the relative levels of reduced and oxidized glutathione (i.e., GSH/GSSG) were, likewise, elevated suggesting that oxidative stress is not involved in the observed effects as typical of heterotrophic bacterial LPS in mammalian systems. In further support of this, no effect was observed with respect to CAT or SOD activity. These findings demonstrate that Microcystis LPS affects glutathione-based detoxification pathways in the zebrafish embryo, and more generally, that this model is well suited for investigating the apparent toxicophore of cyanobacterial LPS, including possible differences in structure-activity relationships between heterotrophic and cyanobacterial LPS, and teleost fish versus mammalian systems

Go-Teachers: Aplicação web para compartilhamento de videoaulas de língua inglesa por professores voluntários

TCC (graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Campus Araranguá. Tecnologias da Informação e ComunicaçãoA língua inglesa é falada em várias partes do mundo, e não é novidade saber que está presente em nosso cotidiano também. Saber esse idioma permite evoluir na carreira, independentemente da área que for. A popularização da Internet traz novos horizontes para a aprendizagem informal de um novo idioma. Nesse contexto, este trabalho de conclusão de curso tem como objetivo o desenvolvimento de uma aplicação web de videoaulas de Inglês, tendo como público-alvo estudantes, professores e fluentes em língua inglesa. Foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica acerca da Internet, da aplicação web, da aprendizagem informal e da taxonomia do conteúdo da língua inglesa. Como framework de desenvolvimento, foi utilizado Ruby On Rails para o Back End, e Bootstrap para o Front-End. Ao final, pôde-se concluir que a aplicação atingiu todos os requisitos planejados inicialmente.The english language is spoken in many parts of the world and it is not something to know that it is presente in our daily lives as well. Having the domain of such language allows you to evolve in many areas such as your career. The Internet popularization brings new horizons for informal learning of a new language. In that context, this undergraduate thesisaims to develop a web application for English vídeo classes targeting students, teachers and fluente English speakers. Was carried out a literature review about Internet, web application, informal learning and the English language content’s taxonomy. Ruby on Rails is the framework chosen to build the back-end and Bootstrap for the front-end. At the end, the application has met its purpose and goals planned