<p>  </p> <p>Knot tying boards are low fidelity surgical simulators used to practice tying suture, but devices on the market currently provide no feedback and no way of changing out bands. A simple-to-use knot tying board with interchangeable bands capable of measuring force was designed. This board is comparable in cost to products currently available on the market. The knot tying board was then prototyped and tested. Four MD students completed trials of one-handed and two-handed knot tying with three throws per trail. In testing, the knot tying board was capable of measuring force data, such as peak force during knot tying and the final force the knot exerts on the bands. The device used in conjunction with experienced surgical skills coaches could prove a powerful tool for providing feedback to trainees, and a similar approach could be used with other low fidelity surgical simulators to improve feedback.</p>

Based on the targets outlined by the EU Horizon 2020 (H2020) framework, it is expected that heterogeneous networking will play a crucial role in delivering seamless end-to-end ubiquitous Internet access for users. In due course, the current GSM-Railway (GSM-R) will be deemed unsustainable, as the demand for packet-oriented services continues to increase. Therefore, the opportunity to identify a plausible replacement system conducted in this research study is timely and appropriate. In this research study, a hybrid satellite and terrestrial network for enabling ubiquitous Internet access in a high-speed train environment is investigated. The study focuses on the mobility management aspect of the system, primarily related to the handover management. A proposed handover strategy, employing the RACE II MONET and ITU-T Q.65 design methodology, will be addressed. This includes identifying the functional model (FM) which is then mapped to the functional architecture (FUA), based on the Q.1711 IMT-2000 FM. In addition, the signalling protocols, information flows and message format based on the adopted design methodology will also be specified. The approach is then simulated in OPNET and the findings are then presented and discussed. The opportunity of exploring the prospect of employing neural networks (NN) for handover is also undertaken. This study focuses specifically on the use of pattern classification neural networks to aid in the handover process, which is then simulated in MATLAB. The simulation outcomes demonstrated the effectiveness and appropriateness of the NN algorithm and the competence of the algorithm in facilitating the handover process.

<p dir="ltr">Learning-based systems (LBS) have become essential in various domains, necessitating the development of testing and evaluation (T&E) procedures specifically tailored to address the unique characteristics and challenges of LBS. However, existing frameworks designed for traditional systems do not adequately capture the intricacies of LBS, including their evolving nature, complexity, and susceptibility to adversarial actions. This study advocates for a paradigm shift in T&E, proposing its integration throughout the entire life cycle of LBS, starting from the early stages of development and extending to operations and sustainment. The research objectives focus on exploring innovative approaches for designing LBS-specific T&E strategies, creating an experimental testbed with multi-fidelity modeling capabilities, investigating the optimal degree of test and evaluation required for LBS, and examining the impact of system knowledge access and the delicate balance between T&E activities and data/model rights. These objectives aim to overcome the challenges associated with LBS and contribute to the development of effective testing approaches that assess their capabilities and limitations throughout the life cycle. The proposed experimental testbed will provide a versatile environment for comprehensive testing and evaluation, enabling researchers and practitioners to assess LBS performance across varying levels of complexity. The findings from this study will contribute the development of efficient testing strategies and practical approaches that strike a balance between thorough evaluation and data/model rights. Ultimately, the integration of continuous T&E insights throughout the life cycle of LBS aims to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of capability delivery by enabling adjustments and improvements at each stage.</p>

Severe weather events like hurricanes and tornadoes pose major risks globally, underscoring the critical need for accurate forecasts to mitigate impacts. While advanced computational capabilities and climate models have improved predictions, lack of high-resolution initial conditions still limits forecast accuracy. The Atlantic's "Hurricane Alley" region sees most storms arise, thus needing robust in-situ ocean data plus atmospheric profiles to enable precise hurricane tracking and intensity forecasts. Examining satellite datasets reveals radio occultation (RO) provides the most accurate 5-25 km altitude atmospheric measurements. However, below 5 km accuracy remains insufficient over oceans versus land areas. Some recent benchmark study e.g. Patil Iiyama (2022), and Wei Guan (2022) in their work proposed the use of deep learning models for sea surface temperature (SST) prediction in the Tohoku region with very low errors ranging from 0.35°C to 0.75°C and the root-mean-square error increases from 0.27°C to 0.53°C over the over the China seas respectively. The approach we have developed remains unparalleled in its domain as of this date. This research is divided into two parts and aims to develop a data driven satellite-informed machine learning system to combine high-quality but sparse in-situ ocean data with more readily available low-quality satellite data. In the first part of the work, a novel data-driven satellite-informed machine learning algorithm was implemented that combines High-Quality/Low-Coverage in-situ point ocean data (e.g. ARGO Floats) and Low-Quality/High-Coverage Satellite ocean Data (e.g. HYCOM, MODIS-Aqua, G-COM) and generated high resolution data with a RMSE of 0.58◦C over the Atlantic Ocean.The second part of the work a novel GNN algorithm was implemented on the Gulf of Mexico and showed it can successfully capture the complex interactions between the ocean and mimic the path of a ARGO floats with a RMSE of 1.40◦C. / Doctor of Philosophy / Severe storms like hurricanes and tornadoes are a major threat around the world. Accurate weather forecasts can help reduce their impacts. While climate models have improved predictions, lacking detailed initial conditions still limits forecast accuracy. The Atlantic's "Hurricane Alley" sees many storms form, needing good ocean and atmospheric data for precise hurricane tracking and strength forecasts. Studying satellite data shows radio occultation provides the most accurate 5-25 km high altitude measurements over oceans. But below 5 km accuracy remains insufficient versus over land. Recent research proposed using deep learning models for sea surface temperature prediction with low errors. Our approach remains unmatched in this area currently. This research has two parts. First, we developed a satellite-informed machine learning system combining limited high-quality ocean data with more available low-quality satellite data. This generated high resolution Atlantic Ocean data with an error of 0.58°C. Second, we implemented a new algorithm on the Gulf of Mexico, successfully modeling complex ocean interactions and hurricane paths with an error of 1.40°C. Overall, this research advances hurricane forecasting by combining different data sources through innovative machine learning techniques. More accurate predictions can help better prepare communities in hurricane-prone regions.

As urban areas expand, agricultural lands become increasingly important habitat for many species. Compared to some types of agricultural land-use, ranchlands provide vast expanses of minimally modified habitat that support many threatened and endangered species. Conservation biologists can promote ecologically sound management approaches by quantifying the effects of agricultural practices on resident species. I examined the effects of pasture management, cattle grazing, and landscape characteristics on both adult and larval treefrogs in a ranchland in south-central Florida. I experimentally determined optimal deployment of artificial treefrog shelters constructed of polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe to efficiently sample adult treefrogs (Chapter 1). Seventy-two shelters were hung on oak trees (Quercus virginiana) and cabbage palm trees (Sabal palmetto) with smooth trunks or boots (residual palm fronds), at all possible combinations of three heights (2, 3, and 4 m), four compass directions (N, S, E, and W) and two water levels (with or without 10 cm). Shelter residence was completely dominated by the Squirrel Treefrog, Hyla squirella (N = 65). Significantly fewer H. squirella were found in shelters on palms with boots than on smooth palms or oak trees (0.29 ± 0.21 [mean ± 1 SE hereinafter] versus 1.3 ± 0.21 and 1.1 ± 0.21, respectively), and shelters with water had slightly more H. squirella than those without (1.5 ± 0.19 versus 0.88 ± 0.19, respectively). Orientation and height did not affect the number of treefrogs encountered; thus, the optimal protocol is to deploy shelters on either smooth palms or oak trees, with water, at 2 m height for easy sampling, and in random compass orientations. I used this protocol to sample H. squirella in woodlots surrounding twelve wetlands and examined how time, frog stage and sex, and landscape features influenced treefrog survival, recapture and site fidelity (Chapter 2). I deployed 15 shelters/ha of woodlot within a 100 m buffer around each wetland. I sampled shelters three times during the fall breeding season, removed all shelters to force frogs to overwinter in natural refugia, and replaced shelters for the final spring sampling. During sampling periods, I sexed, measured, and individually marked each frog using visual implant elastomer (VIE) tags. I used Program MARK to build linear models that included either gender group (female, male or juvenile) or life history stage (adult, juvenile) and either time (sampling interval 1, 2, or 3) or season (fall, spring). I used the most informative model as a null model to assess effects of landscape covariates on survival and recapture. Females had higher survival than either males or juveniles, for which estimates were similar (0.867 vs 0.741 and 0.783, respectively). Survival did not vary over time, although there was some support for an effect of season, with lower survival during the final over-wintering period than in the fall intervals (relative variable importance: group = 0.730; stage = 0.134; time = 0.200; season = 0.310). Adults had higher recapture rates than juveniles (average recapture 0.214 vs 0.102), and recapture for both stages varied over time, with highest recapture in sampling interval two (relative variable importance: group = 0.262; stage = 0.514; time = 0.513; season = 0.229). Hyla squirella was extremely site loyal; no individuals moved between sampling sites, and 95% of recaptured individuals were in their original shelter. Strong terrestrial site fidelity calls into question the traditional "ponds as patches" metapopulation view of treefrog population dynamics. Area of woodlot within 250 m was the most important landscape variable in explaining additional variation in both survival and recapture. Frogs had higher survival and lower recapture in larger woodlots, indicating that intact, contiguous woodlots are higher quality habitat than more fragmented woodlots. Neither survival nor recapture varied with wetland grazing treatments or between pasture types. Finally, I experimentally assessed the effects of cattle grazing and pasture management on larval H. squirella. I selected four wetlands: two in semi-natural pastures (SN) and two in intensively managed pastures (IM). One wetland in each pasture type was fenced so that it was released from cattle grazing (R). I collected three clutches of H. squirella eggs (Clutches A, B, and C) and reared tadpoles in the laboratory until Gosner stage 25. In each wetland, I deployed a total of 50 tadpoles from each clutch into 105 L pens constructed of plastic laundry baskets and mesh window screening. Clutch significantly affected tadpole survival, with Clutch A having the highest percent survival, followed by Clutch B and finally Clutch C (41.66, 32.11 - 53.95 [mean, 95% confidence limits hereinafter]; 9.00, 6.76 - 11.88; 2.89, 2.02 - 4.01, respectively). Wetland type also affected survival, with SN wetlands supporting significantly higher survival than IM wetlands (SN-R: 53.95, 32.88 - 88.13; SN-G: 18.95, 11.30 - 31.36 vs IM-R: 7.32, 4.13 - 12.49; IM-G: 1.09, 0.29 - 2.39). Genetic variation in survival confirms the potential for H. squirella to adapt to rangeland management, but extremely low survival of some clutches indicates that few clutches may be able to survive in low quality wetlands, such as IM-G wetlands. Higher survival in SN pasture wetlands suggest this is a superior habitat and future management objectives should conserve semi-natural pastures and limit further modification of intensively managed pastures, including removing woodlots near wetlands.

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[pt] A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo principal estudar a salvação em Zc 8,1-8, apresentando uma leitura exegética desta unidade a partir do cenário de Zc 7,4-14, e demonstrar as inter-relações entre as unidades, construindo uma nova compreensão de Zc 8,1-8 em relação a Zc 7,4-14. A pesquisa considera que embora os textos de Zc 8,1-8 e Zc 7,4-14 possam sugerir, a princípio, uma relação de oposição, existe uma coerência temática, que torna justificável a sequência das duas unidades. A partir desta compreensão a implícita conexão entre Zc 8,1-8 e Zc 7,4-14 explica as relações de tensão presentes nos dois textos. A compreensão conjunta das duas unidades também permite revelar um sentido temático-teológico que evidencia a dinâmica da salvação e repreensão de Deus diante do comportamento de seu povo. Ambas as unidades textuais seguiram a mesma metodologia em suas etapas até o seu desenvolvimento final: os passos essenciais do Método Histórico Crítico, conjugando-os com a análise sincrônica dos textos em sua forma final e canônica. As unidades de Zc 8,1-8 e Zc 7,4-14, quando estudadas em conjunto, mostraram uma afinidade e um sentido teológico percebidos no agir divino diante da resposta da geração pré-exílica e da comunidade do profeta, que parece repetir os padrões do passado. YHWH reprovou o povo da geração passada por seu comportamento obstinado e desobediente (Zc 7,4-14). Por sua vez, ele resgatará novos grupos de exilados, que formarão o novo povo de Deus, pelo comportamento justo e obediente às suas palavras (Zc 8,1-8). / [en] The present survey has as principal purpose to study the salvation in Zech 8:1-8, revealing an exegetical reading of this unit from the scenario of Zech 7:4-14, and to evidence the inter-relations between the units, developing new knowledge of Zech 8:1-8 in relation to Zech 7:4-14. The survey takes into account that although the texts of Zech 8:1-8 and Zech 7:4-14 can promptly come up with a relation of opposition between them, there is a thematic coherence, which makes the sequence of the two units justifiable. From this understanding, one can see that there is a connection between Zech 8:1-8 and Zech 7:4-14, which justifies the tension relations in both texts. The joint understanding of the two units also reveals a thematic-theological sense that highlights the dynamics of salvation and rebuke of God in the face of the behaviour of his people. Both textual units followed the same methodology in their stages until their final development: the essential steps of the historical-critical method, combining them with the synchronic analysis of the texts in their final and canonical form. The units of Zech 8:1-8 and Zech 7:4-14 when studied together showed an affinity and theological sense, which are perceived in divine action in the face of the behaviour of the pre-exilic generation and in divine action before the answer of the community of the prophet, which seems to repeat the patterns from past. YHWH condemned the people of the past generation for their inflexible and rebellious behaviour (Zech 7:4-14). In turn, he will release new groups of exiles, who will create God s new people, through righteous behaviour and submissive to his words (Zech 8:1-8).