The VolumePro Volume Rendering Cluster: A Vital Component of Parallel End-to-End Solution

As data sets, both acquired from scanners and those generated from complex simulations, grow in size and complexity, researchers continue to push the boundaries of the amount of data that can be viewed, processed and analyzed interactively. It soon becomes clear that today's algorithms and systems must be scaled through the use of parallelism in order to create viable and cost effective solutions. But for parallelism to be most effective, it must be conceived and designed for efficiency through-out every individual component of the processing and computational pipeline. In fact, a parallel architecture must be preserved throughout the whole process in order to avoid single pipeline bottlenecks

Feeling the Heat of Human Rights Branding: Bringing Transnational Corporations Within the International Human Rights Fence

A review of: Human Rights Standards and the Responsibility of Transnational Corporations edited by Michael K. Addo. The Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1999. 384pp

Mindfulness and Mothering: Reclaiming Feminine Voice

Little is known about working mothers who practice mindfulness. This dissertation is a phenomenological investigation using body mapping as a way to understand how mindfulness works in the lives of six women who work in health and social care while parenting young children. This dissertation is comprised of five integrated articles. Chapter 1 and 7 are included as an Introduction and Discussion/Conclusion to the five separate though related manuscript chapters. The main research questions that framed this research include, ‘What is the work of mindfulness in the lives of working professional mothers?’ and ‘In what ways might a mindfulness practice help women navigate their role as a working mother with young children?’. Each of the five manuscripts offer something unique to this work. The first manuscript, Chapter 2, uses literature to explore how mindfulness can support early years practitioners in developing a more critical and nuanced understanding of how social constructions of motherhood shape practice. In the second manuscript, chapter 3, I again use literature to explore mindfulness as a construct and how it has the potential to enhance professional practices. The third manuscript, Chapter 4, is more theoretical and philosophical and explores how phenomenology can fruitfully pair with mindfulness in a qualitative study such as this one. The fourth manuscript, chapter 5, is the first of two manuscripts that originate from the empirical study. The six women’s constructed body maps where analyzed to better understand how mindfulness works in their lives. The fifth manuscript, chapter 6, explores body mapping as a method and what it can contribute to social research. Findings include an appreciation for how mindfulness may help mothers critically reflect on normative expectations for working women. This thesis contributes to the growing body of work that appreciates the work of mindfulness. Specifically I suggest that mindfulness may inspire professional mothers to rethink practices and beliefs that may ultimately advance the position of women and children. The research seeks to ignite conversations that have implications for Canadian families, and health and social care professional education practices

You Want Me to Draw What? Body Mapping in Qualitative Research as Canadian Socio-Political Commentary

Es gibt nur wenig Literatur zu Body Mapping als Methode zum Verstehen aufmerksamer Praxis und noch weniger Beispiele, wenn es darum geht zu veranschaulichen, wie dieser Forschungsansatz umgesetzt werden kann. In diesem Beitrag zeigen wir, wie Body Mapping in einer qualitativen Study genutzt wurde, um mütterliche Aufmerksamkeitspraktiken zu erforschen. Wir präsentieren hierfür einen neuen Ansatz, bei dem wir Aufmerksamkeitstechniken und SOLOMONs Body Mapping miteinander verbunden haben. Um unsere Erfahrung zu illustrieren, geben wir 1. einen Überblick über Body Mapping als Methode und befassen uns 2. mit praktischen Problemen, denen wir beim Einsatz des Verfahrens begegnet sind a) mit Blick auf ethische Fragen, b) im Rahmen der Analyse und c) hinsichtlich der Verortung von Body Mapping innerhalb der Sozialforschung. Wir zeigen, dass Body Mapping ein Vergnügen und eine expressive Erfahrung sein, aber auch Forschende und Teilnehmende überfordern kann, insbesondere wenn sie keine Vorerfahrungen haben. Wir hoffen, Vertrauen aufzubauen und Einsichten in den Verlauf von Body-Mapping-Projekten zu gewähren, u.a. dazu, wie Fragen für Sessions generiert und welche Schritte im Analyseprozess bedacht werden sollten.There is a scarcity of literature written about body mapping as a method to understanding mindfulness practice, and even fewer examples of how to undertake this type of research in a tangible way. In this article, we discuss how body mapping was used as part of a qualitative study investigating working mothers' mindful practices. We present a novel approach to integrating mindfulness-based techniques with SOLOMON's body mapping method. We illustrate our experiences by 1. sharing an overview of body mapping as a method, and 2. reviewing practical issues we encountered including: a) ethical issues, b) how to approach analysis, and c) body mapping within social research. Body mapping can be a fun and expressive experience for participants of social research. It can also be a confusing and overwhelming experience for researchers and participants new to the method. Through the article, we offer some insights and assurances about how to proceed with body mapping projects, including details such as how to generate questions for body mapping sessions, and a thorough consideration of steps to consider for analysis

The role of vitamin D and osteocalcin on diabetic macrovascular and microvascular events in the field study

Objective People with diabetes frequently develop vascular disease, and accumulating evidence suggests a coupled interaction between bone turnover and glycaemic control. We investigated the relationship between blood 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OH-D) and osteocalcin (OCN) concentration on vascular disease risk in type 2 diabetes. Research design and methods The relationships between blood 25OH-D and OCN concentration at baseline and the incidence of macrovascular (including myocardial infarction, stroke) and microvascular (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and amputation) disease were analysed with Cox proportional-hazards models and logistic regression in an observational study of patients in the 5-year Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes trial. Results 50% of the patients low 25OH-D concentrations, as indicated by median blood 25OH-D concentration of 49nmol/L. These patients with a blood 25OH-D concentration < 50nmol/L had a higher cumulative incidence of macrovascular and microvascular events than those with levels ≥ 50nmol/L. Patients with OCN levels below the population mean of 9.1 ng/mL show a significantly higher cumulative incidence of microvascular events than those with ≥ 9.1 ng/mL. Higher baseline serum OCN was associated with a reduction in risk of microvascular events of 8% per 5ng/mL. Undercarboxylated OCN was not a significant predictor of micro- or macrovascular events. Multivariate analysis, stratified by treatment and adjusted for relevant confounders, identified blood 25OH-D and OCN concentration as an independent predictor of macrovascular and microvascular events