Nitrates in surface waters, inputs and seasonality: Phase 2

Changes in management practices and agricultural productivity over the past twenty years have lead to nitrate pollution and eutrophication of lakes and rivers. Information on nitrate concentrations and discharge has been collected on the River Frome at East Stoke since 1965, using the same analytical nitrate method so that the results are comparable. These records of weekly spot values of nitrate concentration and daily mean discharges have been analysed for trends and seasonal patterns in both concentration and nitrate loadings. In this extension of our nitrate contract, a new automated method of intensive sampling has been used to monitor short-term variability and to assess how well similar routine (weekly) sampling schemes can represent the true nitrate record

Opportunities and challenges of working with gifted and talented students in an urban context: A university-based intervention program

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article appeared in Gifted Child Today, 34(1), 2011. Copyright 2011 @ Sage Publications.No abstract available

Visualizing Metaclusters

Metaclustering results in many alternate clusterings of a single data set, only a few of which may be useful to a specific user. Examining clusterings often is difficult, and asking a user to search through many different clusterings to find the ones most useful for their purposes usually is not feasible. This brief report describes a method for visualizing metaclusters (groups of similar clusterings) in a single image, making it easier for users to browse and understand the clusterings

Development and implementation of star tracker based attitude determination

As interest in nanosatellites grows within the university community, the demand for inexpensive, space-grade hardware grows as well. Star trackers can be a luxury item for some spacecraft and therefore are often not considered due to their cost. Ideally, a star tracker could be built using inexpensive parts so long as the software is available. Unlike many other attitude determination instruments, star trackers are renowned for their high accuracy, yielding accurate and precise attitude estimates. However, development of this software can be overwhelming for the university settling, especially when multiple missions are on hand. If these instruments were readily available for more spacecraft, university-sponsored missions could expand to higher orbits and possibly deep space applications. Keeping in mind the cost and time constraints most university missions run into, the difficulty of developing an inexpensive star tracker stems from the integrated software. Hardware can be commercial off-the-shelf products, but the software is the more expensive of the two, and it is this software that is often lacking at the university level. With this, the proposed algorithm shows promise for the development, implementation, and testing of free star tracker software. The presented algorithm allows for a variety of interchangeable hardware, making it ideal for the academic community --Abstract, page iii

The Effects of Familiarity and Persuasion on Risk Assessment

Cognitive biases influence decisions and the analyses of risk. They are often derived from two separate processes: bias based on familiarity (familiarity bias) and bias as the result of influences from outside sources (persuasion bias). Research suggests that familiarity-based bias may lead to acceptance of an activity\u27s drawbacks and a leniency of its risks. In addition, research has tried to measure and analyze different types of biases individually, but few have compared the interactions of more than one bias at once. Because different biases may derive from different mental phenomena it is important to tease out the distinctions, and observe how they interact with each other. This study conducted an empirical test that attempted to answer the following questions: Does familiarity and affiliation of the topics of radiation, low-earth orbit, and space travel result in a lesser concern, and therefore leniency, of the risks involved? How effective is on-the-spot persuasion when discussing risk assessment? How well does increased familiarity of a high-risk activity protect against on-the-spot persuasion? Surveys were distributed to 409 students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The surveys were meant to collect the familiarity and preference levels of the participants regarding commercial space travel; they were also meant to expose the participants to persuasion conditions in order to influence their perceptions of risk. Non-parametric tests were performed in order to test the interactions. Data show that no significant bias occurred as the result of persuasion; however significance was detected between participants with high familiarity and low familiarity when they were not intentionally persuaded. Implications of these results are included

The use of the Nintendo Wii for balance and cognition as a trement modality in occupational therapy in persons with multiple sclerosis for increased independence in activities of daily living [abstract]

Objective: Examine the effectiveness of the Nintendo Wii on balance and cognition deficits to increase independence in activities of daily living for an individual with MS. Design: ABA single subject experimental design Participants: n=1; 37 year old female with diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Inclusion/exclusion criteria met by participant: the participant must be ambulatory in the home, have functional vision, medically stable, and have adequate hand and wrist function; they cannot be receiving other therapy during the intervention. The Mini Mental State Exam was used to screen for cognitive deficits. Protocol: Pre- and post- testing within one week prior to and following intervention, respectively. Intervention included one hour a day 5 days a week for 4 weeks playing various Nintendo Wii games; twice a week for one hour with therapist supervision while playing Wii Fit and 3 sessions using the game "Brain Challenge" in the home without supervision while sitting. Outcome Measures: Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), measures importance and satisfaction with daily activities, Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Timed Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (TIADL). Data Analysis: SPSS. Results: The participant exhibited the following improvements from pre to post- testing: an increase in balance scores on the BBS, a decrease in processing time on the TIADL, and a significant change in outcomes on goals the client identified as most important using the COPM. Descriptive statistics will be used to compare improvement in assessments from pre to post- testing, game progress, and how the participant felt the intervention benefited her life via survey

Global mind field - a cybernetic perspective

This paper examines the process and outcomes of a workshop event Global Mind FIELD presented at ISEA2013, Sydney. The workshop was conducted and facilitated by Karen Casey and Harry Sokol, with assistants Damian Smith and James Power. The researchers aimed to initiate and test for instances of neural synchrony between participants using creative visual stimulus, enabled by proprietary software program Viseeg (Sokol/Casey) and wireless EEG (electroencephalograph) headsets (Emotiv). The paper further examines to what extent the process of neuro-feedback and the resulting neural synchrony produced through the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ interfaces can be viewed as indicators of a cybernetic mode of practice

Global mind field - a cybernetic perspective

This paper examines the process and outcomes of a workshop event Global Mind FIELD presented at ISEA2013, Sydney. The workshop was conducted and facilitated by Karen Casey and Harry Sokol, with assistants Damian Smith and James Power. The researchers aimed to initiate and test for instances of neural synchrony between participants using creative visual stimulus, enabled by proprietary software program Viseeg (Sokol/Casey) and wireless EEG (electroencephalograph) headsets (Emotiv). The paper further examines to what extent the process of neuro-feedback and the resulting neural synchrony produced through the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ interfaces can be viewed as indicators of a cybernetic mode of practice