Thesis (D.Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2004. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-149).

Thesis (D.Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2004. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 206-222).

Report (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. M.S. 1992. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-71). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-136).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 392-403).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-132).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed Oct. 30, 2007). Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-56).

Ο σκοπός της διπλωματικής εργασίας ήταν η ανάπτυξη ενός μοντέλου Επαυξημένης Πραγματικότητας για την υποβοήθηση του χειρουργού-χειριστή ρομποτικού μηχανήματος. Το μοντέλο αυτό παρουσιάστηκε για την εύρεση του οπτικού πεδίου του ειδικού ενδοσκοπίου. Για τον σκοπό αυτό κατασκευάστηκαν δύο προγράμματα τα οποία μπορούν να χειριστούν ιατρικά δεδομένα και να προσφέρουν εικόνες από το εσωτερικό του μοντέλου του ασθενούς. Συγκεκριμένα, έγινε μελέτη των βασικών μεθόδων εφαρμογής Επαυξημένης Πραγματικότητας στην χειρουργική, όπως η εγγραφή του ασθενούς, η κατάτμηση των ιατρικών δεδομένων, η τρισδιάστατη ανακατασκευή τους και η ανίχνευση των ενδοσκοπικών εργαλείων και της κάμερας. Παρουσιάστηκε το πλήρες θεωρητικό μοντέλο εφαρμογής επαυξημένης πραγματικότητας και έγινε ανάλυση των επιμέρους διαδικασιών. Κατασκευάστηκαν με την βοήθεια της Matlab δύο προγράμματα με τα αντίστοιχα GUIs για τον προεγχειρητικό σχεδιασμό και την διεγχειρητική καθοδήγηση/επαύξηση αντίστοιχα. Τέλος έγινε δοκιμή των προγραμμάτων χρησιμοποιώντας 22 τομές μαγνητικής τομογραφίας (μορφής DICOM) εγκεφάλου με εμφανή καρκίνο στην αριστερή κοιλία. Επίσης καταγράφηκαν οι εικόνες και τα δεδομένα που παίρνουμε σε κάθε βήμα εφαρμογής των προγραμμάτων με στόχο την αξιολόγηση τους. Το μοντέλο αυτό κατασκευάστηκε με στόχο την εφαρμογή του σε επεμβάσεις μέσω του ρομποτικού μηχανήματος daVinci. Παρόλα αυτά η γενικότερη εφαρμογή της μεθοδολογίας που αναπτύσσεται μπορεί να βρει εφαρμογές και σε άλλες ενδοσκοπικές επεμβάσεις. / The purpose of this thesis was to develop a model of Augmented Reality to assist the surgeon-operator of a robotic machine. The model has been presented for finding the field of special endoscope. For this purpose we built two programs that can manipulate medical data and provide images of the interior of the patient’s model. Specifically, a study was done in the basic methods of Augmented Reality application in Surgery such as, the registration of the patient, the segmentation of medical data, their 3D reconstruction and the detection of endoscopic instruments and the camera. Has been presented the complete theoretical model for applying augmented reality and an analysis of individual procedures was done. Moreover we constructed with the help of Matlab two programs with their GUIs, for preoperative planning and intraoperative guidance/augmentation, respectively. Finally the programs were tested, using 22 MRI slices (format DICOM) with visible brain cancer in the left ventricle. Also were recorded images and data that we get at each step of programs implementation in order to evaluate them. This model was constructed to implement the operations through the daVinci robotic machine. Nevertheless, the general application of the methodology developed in this study may find applications also in other endoscopic procedures

<p>This dissertation seeks to bring together two philosophical literatures: the functions literature from the philosophy of biology, and the functionalist literature in naturalistic metaethics. Biological function suggests both objectivity and normativity: “the function of the heart is to pump blood” is an objective fact, and yet, hearts may malfunction—and malfunctioning is normative. Many ethicists wish to naturalize ethics—to help find a place for human normative lives in the objective natural world. In order to do so, they need tools to analyze humans as the products of evolutionary processes. Humans have a dual inheritance system involving both cultural and genetic inheritance that makes analysis of function for them particularly complex. In this dissertation, I develop a set of conceptual tools for those who wish to naturalize. I begin by developing an account of inheritance that can handle culture. Then, I elaborate the selected effects account of function so that it can handle all the evolutionary strangeness of culture. I then introduce the monolith fallacy—an error often committed by those studying human evolution—a tendency to oversimplify—to emphasize the high degree of complexity involved in any naturalizing project. Finally, I introduce the notion of value-guided functions—a kind of functioning not tied to our intentions, but to our values to round out the picture. I then apply the whole framework to the work of the functional metaethicists: Allan Gibbard, David Wong, Richard Joyce, and Philip Kitcher.</p> / Dissertation

This thesis describes the synthesis and biological evaluation of a library of compounds containing the tetramic acid core in search of novel antibacterial drug candidates. Chapter 1 discusses the need for new antibiotics due to the emergence of virulent bacterial strains resistant to clinically available drugs and the hiatus in the discovery of new replacement antibitoics that has become a global threat to human health. Different platforms for antibacterial drug discovery and the re-emergence of natural products-based approach that has gained importance in the quest for novel antibiotics are discussed. In this regard, the intrinsic antibacterial activity of natural products containing a tetramate core structure and the strategies developed to synthesise the core scaffold are described. Chapter 2 discusses the use of ʟ-serine and ʟ-cysteine in tetramic acid synthesis and the application of ʟ-cysteine-derived thiazolidine templates suitable for stereoselective ring closing reactions to obtain the tetramic acid core with scope for further functionalization. Chapters 3 and 4 describe a range of synthetic routes for appropriate substitutions of the tetramate core for compound library generation. Elaboration of the tetramate core via carboxamide tetramate synthesis, Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions, glycosylations and their aglycone analogue synthesis, etherification, tetramate-pyroglutamate systems, Buchwald aminations/amidations, cycloadditions and β-lactam hybrids as possible chemical modifications of the tetramate core structure are discussed. Chapter 5 describes the antibacetiral activity and physicochemical properties of the library of compounds synthesised. A preliminary evaluation of their antibiotic activity was conducted against S. aureus and E. coli using the hole-plate method. MICs of the tetramates synthesised were determined against several Gram-negative strains; Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive strains; MRSA, Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus pneumoniae, in whole-cell bioassays. Physicochemical properties of the compound library were analysed to map the chemical space occupied by tetramates with potent antibacterial activity. Enzyme inhibition studies were conducted to identify possible modes of action that contribute to whole-cell antibiotic activity and in this regard, the inhibition of enzymes S. aureus topoisomerase IV, S. aureus RNA polymerase, E. coli RNA polymerase, E. coli gyrase and M. tuberculosis gyrase are discussed. Since plasma protein binding of compounds is an important factor that determines the bioavailability of antibiotics and their clinical outcome, a study of the binding affinity of these drug candidates to Human Serum Albumin (HSA) by both whole-cell bioassay and NMR spectroscopy-based protein binding experiments are discussed. Finally, a brief note on the potential of tetramic acids to function as proteasome inhibitors in anticancer chemotherapy is included at the end of this chapter.