Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Health Care Informatics Support Of A Simulated Study, Zeinab Salari Far

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this project is to assess the value of REDCap (Harris, 2009) by conducting a simulated breast cancer clinical trial and demonstration. REDCap is a free, secure, web-based application designed to support data capture for research studies. To assess REDCap's value, we conducted a simulation of a clinical trial study designed to compare the use of two new technologies for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment with current best practice breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. We call the trial, "Real-Time Operating Room BC Diagnostic Treatment (RORBCDT)". The RORBCDT clinical trial is designed to assess the value of a new …

Design And Optimization Of Four-Dimensional Cone-Beam Computed Tomography In Image-Guided Radiation Therapy, Moiz Ahmad

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

The influence of respiratory motion on patient anatomy poses a challenge to accurate radiation therapy, especially in lung cancer treatment. Modern radiation therapy planning uses models of tumor respiratory motion to account for target motion in targeting. The tumor motion model can be verified on a per-treatment session basis with four-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (4D-CBCT), which acquires an image set of the dynamic target throughout the respiratory cycle during the therapy session. 4D-CBCT is undersampled if the scan time is too short. However, short scan time is desirable in clinical practice to reduce patient setup time. This dissertation presents the …

Rickettsia Felis In Cat Fleas, Ctenocephalides Felis Parasitizing Opossums, San Bernardino County, California, Kyle F. Abramowicz, J. W. Wekesa, C. N. Nwadike, Maria L. Zambrano, Sandor E. Karpathy, D. Cecil, J. Burns, R. Hu, Marina E. Eremeeva

Environmental Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Los Angeles and Orange Counties are known endemic areas for murine typhus in California; however, no recent reports of flea-borne rickettsioses are known from adjacent San Bernardino County. Sixty-five opossums (Didelphis virginiana) were trapped in the suburban residential and industrial zones of the southwestern part of San Bernardino County in 2007. Sixty out of 65 opossums were infested with fleas, primarily cat fleas, Ctenocephalides felis (Bouché, 1835). The flea minimum infection rate with Rickettsia felis was 13.3% in pooled samples and the prevalence was 23.7% in single fleas, with two gltA genotypes detected. In spite of historic records of murine …

An Automated Pathological Class Level Annotation System For Volumetric Brain Images, Thien Anh Dinh, Tomi Silander, C. C. Tchoyoson Lim, Tze-Yun Leong

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

We introduce an automated, pathological class level annotation system for medical volumetric brain images. While much of the earlier work has mainly focused on annotating regions of interest in medical images, our system does not require annotated region level training data nor assumes perfect segmentation results for the regions of interest; the time and effort needed for acquiring training data are hence significantly reduced. This capability of handling high-dimensional noisy data, however, poses additional technical challenges, since statistical estimation of models for such data is prone to over-fitting. We propose a framework that combines a regularized logistic regression method and …

Evaluation Of Polymer Gel Dosimeters For Measurements Of Dose And Let In Proton Beams, Kevin M. Vredevoogd

Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)

This project assessed the effectiveness of polymer gel dosimeters as tools for measuring the dose deposited by and LET of a proton beam. A total of three BANG® dosimeter formulations were evaluated: BANG®-3-Pro-2 BANGkits™ for dose measurement and two BANG®-3 variants, the LET-Baseline and LET-Meter dosimeters, for LET measurement. All dosimeters were read out using an OCT scanner. The basic characteristics of the BANGkits™ were assessed in a series of photon and electron irradiations. The dose-response relationship was found to be sigmoidal with a threshold for response of approximately 15 cGy. The active region of the dosimeter, the volume in …

A Critical Analysis Of The Kyoto Protocol Using Monte Carlo Simulation And Magicc, Penny Lambert

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted the Kyoto Protocol in December 1997. Emissions data from national registries were used to quantify the total anthropogenic emissions of signatory parties between 1990 and 2009, found to have been reduced by approximately 18 percent of base year levels. Using IPCC Special Report Emissions Scenarios (SRES) as a practicable baseline for non-mitigation, three distinct intervention scenarios were constructed from target and observed emissions reductions under the Protocol to investigate their climatic implications against unabated anthropogenic carbon by the end of the 21st century. MAGICC Version 5.3 was used to model forecast …

In Vitro Assessment Of The Survivability Of Lactobacillus Casei Dn-114 001 And Lactobacillus Casei Shirota, Within Commercialised Food Matrices, In The Upper Gastrointestinal Tract, Rosie Wills

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The aim of this study was to determine the survivability of probiotics; Lactobacillus casei Shirota and Lactobacillus casei DN-114 001, within their respective commercialised food matrices YakultÃ’ and ActimelÃ’, during in vitro simulated gastrointestinal transit. Original and Light/Fat Free varieties of each brand were assessed to determine whether nutritional composition affected bacterial survival rate. Strains were exposed to 3 hours of simulated gastric transit at pH 2, using Hydrochloric Acid (32%) and Pepsin (3mg ml-1), followed by 2 hours of simulated duodenal transit, at pH 6.5, using Bile Salts (0.3% w/v) and Sodium Hydroxide (4M). Samples were serially diluted with …

A Preliminary Study Into The Use Of Canopy Invertebrates And Sampling Techniques In Relation To Forest Indicators In A Fragmented Scottish Woodland - Application And Management, Natalie Walsh

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Caledonian forests within the Scottish Highlands have experienced severe fragmentation and currently remain as small isolated habitats. Canopy invertebrates within these forests play an important role in ecosystem functioning and may be potentially used as forest indicators for the use in forest management. Four different low-cost invertebrate trapping methods were deployed into birch, oak and Scots pine trees, comparing family diversity and composition between tree and trap types. Data on canopy spread, tree height and d.b.h were also tested to see if they influenced family composition of invertebrates. Collected data found little difference in family diversity and composition between tree …

Fluorescent Proteins And Chromoproteins In Phylum: Cnidaria, Mario Lewis

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Green fluorescent protein was first discovered in Aequorea victoria. Its significance in a continually expanding range of scientific applications led to the discovery of an abundance of homologous fluorescent proteins and non-fluorescent chromoproteins in a variety of species in the phylum Cnidaria. The document reviews the various proposed hypotheses on the biological functions and biochemistry of fluorescent proteins and chromoproteins, wherein a full resolution remains elusive and is the subject of on-going debate. Mutagenesis has provided novel variants and insights into the relationship between the spectral characteristics and chromophore structures of fluorescent proteins that encompass the visible spectrum. Fluorescent proteins …

Effects Of Algal Toxicity On The Clearance Rate Of The Blue Mussel (Mytilus Edulis), Samantha Bowgen

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of toxic strains of Karlodinium veneficum on the clearance rate of Mytilus edulis. Suspensions of the toxic strain and the non-toxic strain of K. veneficum, mixed with an alternative non-toxic species, Prorocentrum micans, were made and performed as parallel experiments in order to compare their effects on clearance rate. Clearance rate was measured by taking samples from suspensions every five minutes up to 30 minutes, and counting the algal cells found within each sample using a Sedgewick rafter slide. No significant difference was found between the two experiments (F (9.322, …

A Study To Investigate The Effects Of Priming A Lad's Magazine Brand On Women's Perception Of The Sexual Harassment Of Other Women, Emily Robson

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This study investigated the effects of priming a Lad’s magazine brand on women’s perceptions of the sexual harassment of other women and their notions of women as sex objects. Previous research has demonstrated perceptions of women can be affected by media exposure. Past studies were reviewed and a gap was identified in the current knowledge of the effects of exposure to sexualised media on women’s perceptions of the sexual harassment of other women. One-way ANOVAs did not demonstrate any statistically significant differences in women’s perception of the sexual harassment of other women or notions of women as sex objects in …

Effects Of A Gardening Task On Chocolate Craving, Sarah-Jane Baugh

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Two concepts, craving and nature, were brought together to investigate the effects of a gardening task on chocolate craving. Participants (n = 105) completed a chocolate craving induction before taking part in one of three, five minute tasks (gardening, plasticine, counting). Measures of craving, mood, arousal, attention and heart rate were recorded. The gardening task was found to have beneficial effects with participants experiencing significant changes in energetic arousal (p= .01) and feeling good (p< .01); however, no significant effects were found in the other measures.

The Effect Of Itgd Sensitivity And Contact On Attitudes Towards Burqas, Sophie Augarde

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The presented research investigates whether intergroup disgust sensitivity (affect-laden construct reflecting individual differences to experience revulsion towards outgroups) predicts greater prejudicial attitudes towards burqas. In addition to investigating the effect of ITGD sensitivity on prejudicial attitudes, types of contact (no contact, imagined contact and physical contact) between participants and an outgroup member were investigated to assess the efficacy of reducing prejudice towards women who wear burqas. ITGD sensitivity along with attitude towards burqas was measured over two sessions. Results indicated that there was no statistically significant effect of ITGD sensitivity or contact type on attitudes towards burqas. However, mean score …

An Evaluation Of Whether Artificial Refuge Traps Or Baited Traps Are The Most Effective Method For Trapping White-Clawed Crayfish (Austropotamobius Pallipes), Kathryn Walter

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Britain’s only native crayfish species, the white-clawed crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes are threaten through rapid population declines caused by non-indigenous species, habitat degradation and pollution. This study focuses one of the last remaining small A. pallipes population in the Creedy Yeo River, Devon. This study aims to decipher whether the use of artificial refuge traps (ARTs) or baited traps are the most effective method of catching this species, to aid translocation efforts to conserve the remaining population under threat from the American signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus. The capture rate of each type of trap was studied at four sites along the …

Location, Demographic, Lifestyle And Behavioural Influences On Household Participation In Bournemouth Borough Council's Kerbside Recycling Scheme, Stephanie Rooke

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Bournemouth Borough Council (BBC) is performing well in recycling and currently has a recycling rate of 63.9%, but there is still room for BBC to improve the efficiency of the existing ‘Big Bin’ dry kerbside recycling collection scheme and increase the recycling rate further. The aim of the study was to identify the socio-economic groups which participate the least, or contaminate the most, in BBC’s kerbside recycling scheme. A participation survey was carried out over three consecutive collection cycles for three recycling rounds ‘RW1, RW2 and RW5’ to measure how many times each individual household set out their recycling bin …

The Conservation Biology And Ecology Of The African Leopard Panthera Pardus Pardus, Ross Tyzack Pitman

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The African leopard Panthera pardus pardus is an apex predator, and a reliable indicator of a healthy ecosystem. Currently assessed as ‗near threatened‘ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, leopards are exposed to a range of threats that include: habitat loss and/or degradation, depletion of natural prey, conflict with people, consumptive- and non-consumptive practices, and the illegal trade of leopard products. Leopards have disappeared from 37% of their historical range, and are continuing to decline. Leopards have been extirpated across many areas of Africa, especially where people are densely populated, which has left patchily distributed leopard populations throughout …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Erosion Along The Holderness Coastline, North East Yorkshire, Uk, Verity Macfarlane

The Plymouth Student Scientist

There is an increasing problem of erosion in coastal environments, particularly in soft material cliffs which need to be protected; migration to these environments is increasing, up to 75% more of the total population is predicted to live in close proximity to the coast by 2020. The Holderness coast (located in North East Yorkshire, UK) is the fastest eroding coastline in Europe. It comprises of soft clay, glacial till deposits from the Devensian period (18-13Ka). Previous studies have calculated that many parameters such as till properties, cliff geomorphology, cliff topography, strength and reaction to varied water contents are varied throughout …

Biologging Science: Advances In Our Knowledge Of Seabirds And Their Behaviours, David Evans

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The use of miniature tags attached to free-living animals to record data is termed ‘biologging’. This procedure has been used to study seabirds since the 1970’s and our knowledge of their behaviour, physiology and migration has advanced through the decades, along with the potential for conservation of species. Technological advances in recent years have improved data resolution and storage, enabling a better understanding of seabirds and their environment

The Ecology Of Tardigrades, Emma Northcote-Smith

The Plymouth Student Scientist

No abstract provided for this article.

Comparing Risk-Taking And Digit Ratio (2d:4d) In Offenders And Non-Offenders, Taja Anderson

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Offenders differ from non-offenders in their propensity to engage in risk-taking behaviour. The ratio of the index and ring fingers (2D:4D), a proxy of prenatal testosterone exposure, has been linked to risk-taking behaviour. The present study compared risk-taking in 45 male offenders and 66 non-offenders using the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). Furthermore, it sought to determine the relationship between their 2D:4D ratios and risk-taking behaviours. No significant differences were found between the two groups in their risk-taking behaviour and no significant correlations were found between 2D:4D and risk-taking in either group. These findings are discussed in relation to previous …

The Effects Of Logging And Fragmentation On Bird Diversity, Bethany Mccarthy

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Deforestation and forest degradation is occurring globally at an alarming rate. The annual net loss of forest cover has been reduced in the past decade through sustainable forest management and conservation measures. Despite this, the remaining forest is becoming increasingly degraded with the total area of primary forest declining. Avian diversity has been shown to decline in degraded and fragmented forests due to logging activities. In this review the impacts of logging on avian communities are assessed by comparing diversity between primary forest and degraded secondary forest, industrial plantations and forest fragment sizes. The major organisations and current initiatives that …

Work Placements As Research-Based Learning - A Student And Employer Perspective, Stephanie Rooke, Georgina Lamb

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Guest editorial

The Use Of Errorless Learning In The Rehabilitation Of Action Disorganisation Syndrome: A Case Study, Blaize Dymond

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This case study investigates the use of errorless learning in the rehabilitation of action disorganisation syndrome (ADS). Case DL suffered 2 traumatic brain injuries to the frontal lobes (2002 and 2010) and presents with a clear case of ADS. DL displays high levels of disorganisation when engaging in sequential tasks. Errorless learning was used in an attempt to rehabilitate abilities in two everyday routine sequential actions; making a cup of tea and making toast with butter and jam. Errorless learning involves the deliberate prevention of errors using both verbal and physical prompts. The intervention resulted in a significant decline in …

The Positive Effects Of Aquarium Visits On Children's Behaviour: A Behavioural Observation, Hazel Cocker

The Plymouth Student Scientist

To date research has found a positive effect of blue spaces on adults’ wellbeing. However, it remains to be seen whether these findings are also true for children. The present study aims to address this gap in the literature. The researchers observed children’s behaviour at the National Marine Aquarium across two weeks, including one where the Big Draw event was taking place. In line with restorative theories of natural environments (Kaplan, 1995, Ulrich, 1983), the current research found the exhibit had a calming effect on behaviour and increased levels of happiness across both weeks. During the Big Draw week children …

How Will Ocean Acidification Affect Marine Photosynthetic Organisms? A Review, Michael Jarrold

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Atmospheric carbon dioxide is increasing year on year, mainly as a result of burning fossil fuels. Although carbon dioxide dissolves in the oceans, mitigating atmospheric effects, it does result in a reduction of the alkalinity of sea water; an effect termed Ocean Acidification (OA). The subsequent changes in carbon chemistry will most likely affect marine photosynthetic organisms in a number of ways; including the ability of organisms to build calcium carbonate shells or skeletons (calcification) and primary production. Previous work indicates that both processes respond to OA, but not always in the same way. Consequently the aim of this review …

Mood Affective Outcomes From Alternate Learning Strategies: Cognitive Flexibility And Dyslexic Education, Dylan Williams

The Plymouth Student Scientist

It is theorized that persons with dyslexia and associated conditions may be vulnerable to negative wellbeing, alongside academic deficiency, which has been focused on more widely. This study aims to investigate this theory in teenagers, and to draw relationships with teaching methods. Participants were interviewed, and completed the PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect) scale for children, the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills for Youngsters, and the Educational Environment Survey (an assessment of perceptions on education and ability). Participants with dyslexia and associated conditions showed reduced wellbeing compared to controls, and identified distinct experiential differences of education. This study was successful …

Investigating Placebo Mechanisms: Could A Pdp System Exist?, Francesca Payne

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Placebo mechanisms are a neglected area of research. Kirsch’s (1985) response expectancy theory described the stimulus-placebo response process as direct and unmediated. However, Hyland (2011) argued that the placebo effect is mediated by a parallel distributed processing (PDP) system, whereby all cognitive input is processed simultaneously, resulting in perseveration of the placebo effect. The present study examined this theory by utilising a TENS device as a placebo ‘effecting’ reaction times to a computer task, with an additional cognitive load task to further test the PDP system’s existence. Although a general placebo effect was found that increased in the cognitive load …

New Applications Of Mass Spectrometry For Drug And Lipid Analysis, Elizabeth Lauren Emerson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mass spectrometry is an important tool used in many different disciplines and settings that include forensics, drug discovery, environmental analysis, and proteomics. Gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI - TOF MS) are two of the most important instruments used for analysis of compounds. Chapters 1 and 2 of this discussion use GC-MS for the investigation of synthetic cannabinoids in `K2' incense products and the detection of metabolites in urine samples from individuals suspected of consuming these mixtures. Analytical standards were synthesized and used for identification and confirmation of structures. Detection of …

Recycling And Reuse Of Radioactive Materials, Thomas Joseph O'Dou

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Radiochemistry Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) has a Radiation Protection Program that was designed to provide students with the ability to safely work with radioactive materials in quantities that are not available in other academic environments. Requirements for continuous training and supervision make this unique program capable of turning out graduates that have an understanding of contamination and dose control techniques that complement their knowledge of the elements that they work with. The Program has also adopted a radionuclide recovery and reuse program that has provided materials from other universities, government agencies, and private companies …

Limited Sampling Estimates Of Epigallocatechin Gallate Exposures In Cirrhotic And Noncirrhotic Patients With Hepatitis C After Single Oral Doses Of Green Tea Extract., Dina Halegoua-De Marzio, Walter K. Kraft, Constantine Daskalakis, Xie Ying, Roy L Hawke, Victor J. Navarro

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has antiangiogenic, antioxidant, and antifibrotic properties that may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of cirrhosis induced by hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, cirrhosis might affect EGCG disposition and augment its reported dose-dependent hepatotoxic potential.

OBJECTIVE: The safety, tolerability, and disposition of a single oral dose of EGCG in cirrhotic patients with HCV were examined in an exploratory fashion.

METHODS: Eleven patients with hepatitis C and detectable viremia were enrolled. Four had Child-Pugh (CP) class A cirrhosis, 4 had Child-Pugh class B cirrhosis, and 3 were noncirrhotic. After a single oral dose of green tea extract 400 …