This mixed-methods study’s purpose was a systematic comparison of contents and aftereffects of near-death experiences (NDEs) occurring in a variety of circumstances with those occurring in combat. They completed an online survey: a demographic questionnaire, the Near-Death Experience Scale, the Life Changes Inventory-Revised (LCI-R), and four narrative response items. Survey completers were 68 participants: 20 combat near-death experiencers (cNDErs) and 48 non-NDErs (nNDErs). The 29% of participants who met NDE Scale criterion for an NDE was comparable to NDE incidence findings from previous retrospective studies. For statistical analyses, significance was set at p < .05, and effect size (Cohen’s d) was calculated. Mean total NDE Scale scores were significantly lower for cNDErs than variety-of-circumstance NDErs from one of two comparable studies (t = 5.083, p < .0001, d = -1.26), possibly suggesting cNDEs may have “less depth” than other-variety NDEs. Regarding cNDE aftereffects, absence of previous LCI-R data made comparison impossible. Cronbach’s alpha analysis yielded acceptable reliability on the total scale and seven of nine subscales, a finding that matched Schneeberger’s (2010); however, factor analytic results did not support the hypothesized subscale structure of the LCI-R. Although cNDErs did not score significantly higher than nNDErs on the total scale or subscales after Bonferroni correction, results indicated a possible trend toward greater absolute changes (p = 0.02, d = 0.74) and spirituality (p = 0.02, d = 0.67) with the latter finding substantiated by narrative responses. Informal analysis of narrative responses yielded several themes.

Mycotoxins which are associated with Fusarium spp. and disease caused by this genus, Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), on grains represents a global issue for food and feed security. In order to determinate if the BoMill IQ is capable to recognize the content of mycotoxin in grains of barley, we were testing three different varieties fromm five firms, in two repetitions. This technology uses Near Infrared Transmittance (NIT) to distinguish kernels containing mycotoxins form healthy based on individual kernel protein content. Correlations between content of proteins and tested mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol and nivalenol) were observed. We have found strong negative correlations between both mycotoxins and content of proteins, but there was a strong positive correlation between deoxynivalenol and nivalenol. Results showed that this technology can be used to determinate content of mycotoxins in individual kernels and to sort the grains in different fractions which differ in content of mycotoxins.

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It is a self-standing restaurant building. The basement contained storage needed for restaurant operations. The first floor is the kitchen which has placed kitchen for seating on both sides of the building. Also found here are also toilets and lift to upper floor. The first floor is the actual operation of the restaurant terrace.

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No / Near field imaging using microwaves in medical applications has gained much attention recently as various researchers have shown its capability and accuracy in identifying features of interest compared to well-known screening tools. This paper documents microwave imaging experiments for breast cancer detection. A simple phantom consisting of a plastic container with a low dielectric material imitating fatty tissue and a high dielectric constant object emulating tumor is scanned with a UWB microstrip antenna between 4 to 8 GHz. The measured results indicate that the prototype is a good candidate for imaging application.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatible near infrared spectrometer (NIRS) system was developed and evaluated for continuous-wave diffuse optical spectroscopy (DOS) and concurrent functional MRI measurements of human muscle. Phantom and in-vivo experiments using the system’s fiber bundle suggested that an isolation distance greater than 8 mm needs to exist between adjacent illumination-detection channels. Using single and probe-pair arrangements (inter-fiber separations of 80 µm and 5 mm, respectively), in-vivo DOS point-measurements (total=20 images) were performed on 1) the antecubital vein and a reference tissue area and 2) the lower leg at the medial (MG) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) under isokinetic exercise. Mean spectral morphological differences and relative mean intensity changes at Hemoglobin key wavelengths were found, namely reduced mean pixel intensity (~30%) for the vessel-area and a signal change of ~1-4% between the rest and the recovery condition at both muscle locations for the single-probe configuration. Subsequent work is necessary to evaluate the oxygenation assessment capabilities of this system. Lastly, experiments were performed in which two volunteers had concurrent measurement of optical and blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) MRI, before and following exercise. The same probe arrangement was used for DOS measurements for this experiment. The BOLD signal was studied for manually-derived ROIs. BOLD recovery curves corresponding to the LG followed routine temporal progression where immediate post-exercise signal is hypointense, followed with a sigmoidal-shaped recovery. A decrease ranging between ~0.1-20% was found in the normalized mean spectral signal (20 images) for recovery with reference to the rest condition at both muscle locations for single-probe measurements and for one probe-pair measurement (for 800,808 and 850 nm). The specific trend of the measured decrease in the mean spectral curves during recovery was not consistent among these trials. Future steps include repeatable phantom experiments, increased optical power delivery, enhanced skin contact and improved reflectance measurements / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

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The intent of this thesis is to explore the history of classification of Arab-Americans within the United States, showcase how Arab-Americans have encountered systematic racism, and give reasons why Arab-Americans should be able to self-identify. Currently, according to the Census definition, Middle Easterners fall under the "White" category. This is a misrepresentation of Middle Easterners as they should be considered a minority in light of societal treatment and policies set forth by policy makers. Even though much research has been conducted by the Census, they have elected to withhold the Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) category from the 2020 Census. Solutions for this issue are: Gaining universities' involvement in the movement for a MENA category, encouraging legislation to place MENA as a minority within affirmative action, and the MENA category being placed on the 2030 census.