Digital Commons Network^™

A Retrospective Evaluation Of The Planetree Patient Centered Model Of Care Program's Impact On Inpatient Quality Outcomes, Susan Stone Phd

Dissertations

This retrospective quasi experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of Planetree's patient-centered model of care. Donabedian's model linking structure and process to outcome was used to frame this study. The structure variable is the inpatient acute care hospital unit and the process variable consists of the Planetree patient-centered model of care. Outcomes are (1) patient satisfaction, (2) length of stay, (3) readmission, (4) cost per case, and (5) productive nursing hours per patient day. All data for patient satisfaction, length of stay, readmission, cost per case and productive nurse hours per patient day were retrospective, no participant recruitment was needed. Data …

Healthcare Encounters Of Formerly Incarcerated Women: A Grounded Theory Study, Karen Sue Hoyt Phd

Dissertations

The adult correctional population in the United States soared to nearly 7 million people (Bureau of Justice Statistics [BJS], 2005). Over 2 million individuals were housed in prisons or jails in the United States. Nearly 7 percent (6.9%) were women (BJS, 2005). Recent trends in the adult correctional population suggest that there has been a stark increase in the number of formerly incarcerated women in the United States. The purpose of this research was to explore how formerly incarcerated women perceived their healthcare encounters. The aims of this study were to answer the following questions. How did formerly incarcerated women …

Critical Praxis: Using My Own Whiteness And Experiences To Challenge Issues Of Racism And White Privilege, Linda Selway

Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Autoethnography is a genre of research that alternately focuses its attention outwardly on the social and cultural, and inwardly on the personal life experiences of the researcher in an attempt to raise one’s consciousness and prompt action about the issue under study. This autoethnography explores the transformation I have undergone as I have grappled with the issues of race and academic achievement, and sought to find my place and voice in the struggle for social justice. Along the way, I have had to take a hard, sometimes painful look at myself, peeling away layers of defense to get at …

Older Single Women In Transition: Moving To A Supportive Retirement Community, Linda L. Hansen-Kyle Phd

Dissertations

This study explored role changes, resilience, social, and health challenges encountered by older women who transitioned to a retirement community that provided social, health, and safety support structures. The aim of this study was to analyze and describe the transition from the viewpoint of the participants. Although previous research has shown transitions lead to psychosocial, emotional, physical, and health changes, the importance of this study stems from the lack of research on older women moving to supportive communities and their unique challenges. A convenience sample of 39 women, aged 70-94, who had been living alone before moving to a church …

Study Of Propagation And Detection Methods Of Terahertz Radiation For Spectroscopy And Imaging, Aparajita Bandyopadhyay

Dissertations

The applications of terahertz (THz, 1 THz is 1012 cycles per second or 300 pm in wavelength) radiation are rapidly expanding. In particular, THz imaging is emerging as a powerful technique to spatially map a wide variety of objects with spectral features which are present for many materials in THz region. Objects buried within dielectric structures can also be imaged due to the transparency of most dielectrics in this regime. Unfortunately, the image quality in such applications is inherently influenced by the scattering introduced by the sample inhomogeneities and by the presence of barriers that reduces both the transmitted power …

Linear And Log-Linear Models Based On Generalized Inverse Sampling Scheme, Soumi Lahiri

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the development of novel statistical techniques and the applications in modeling rare events using generalized inverse sampling scheme. The Poisson model can be used for independent frequency count data. Also negative binomial and negative multinomial (NMn) models are applicable when there is only one rare category in the population. Here, a new model, based on generalized inverse sampling scheme, is introduced to study several rare events simultaneouly. The generalized inverse sampling scheme is used to study several rare categories of a population. Samples are drawn until a predetermined number of the total of the rare events occur. …

Advanced Methods In Automatic Modulation Classification For Emerging Technologies, Hong Li

Dissertations

Modulation classification (MC) is of large importance in both military and commercial communication applications. It is a challenging problem, especially in non-cooperative wireless environments, where channel fading and no prior knowledge on the incoming signal are major factors that deteriorate the reception performance. Although the average likelihood ratio test method can provide an optimal solution to the MC problem with unknown parameters, it suffers from high computational complexity and in some cases mathematical intractability. Instead, in this research, an array-based quasi-hybrid likelihood ratio test (qHLRT) algorithm is proposed, which depicts two major advantages. First, it is simple yet accurate enough …

Dynamic Bandwidth Management With Service Differentiation Over Ethernet Passive Optical Networks, Yuanqiu Luo

Dissertations

Ethernet passive optical networks (EPONs) address the first mile of the communication infrastructure between the service provider central offices and the customer sites. As a low-cost, high speed technology, EPONs are deemed as the solution to the bottleneck problem of the broadband access network.

A major feature of EPONs is the utility of a shared upstream channel among the end users. Only a single optical network unit (GNU) may transmit during a timeslot to avoid data collisions. In order to provide diverse quality of service (QoS), the bandwidth management of the upstream channel is essential for the successful implementation of …

H-Simd Machine : Configurable Parallel Computing For Data-Intensive Applications, Xizhen Xu

Dissertations

This dissertation presents a hierarchical single-instruction multiple-data (H-SLMD) configurable computing architecture to facilitate the efficient execution of data-intensive applications on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). H-SIMD targets data-intensive applications for FPGA-based system designs. The H-SIMD machine is associated with a hierarchical instruction set architecture (HISA) which is developed for each application. The main objectives of this work are to facilitate ease of program development and high performance through ease of scheduling operations and overlapping communications with computations.

The H-SIMD machine is composed of the host, FPGA and nano-processor layers. They execute host SIMD instructions (HSIs), FPGA SIMD instructions (FSIs) and nano-processor …

Novel Characterization Of Materials Using Thz Spectroscopic Techniques, Amartya Sengupta

Dissertations

Significant scientific and technical challenges within the terahertz (THz) frequency regime have recently motivated an array of new research activities. This involves numerous applications of this region of the electromagnetic spectrum between approximately 100 GHz (3mm) and 3 THz (100 µm) for both spectroscopy and imaging purposes. THz time domain spectroscopy is unique in that the time domain waveforms are measured and the complex optical constants are deduced directly without resorting to the Kramers-Kronig Analysis.

In this work, THz spectroscopy has been used to characterize different types of materials. Materials investigated consisted of semiconductors, gate dielectric materials, high energetic materials …

Mathematical Problems Arising In Interfacial Electrohydrodynamics, Dmitri Tseluiko

Dissertations

In this work we consider the nonlinear stability of thin films in the presence of electric fields. We study a perfectly conducting thin film flow down an inclined plane in the presence of an electric field which is uniform in its undisturbed state, and normal to the plate at infinity. In addition, the effect of normal electric fields on films lying above, or hanging from, horizontal substrates is considered. Systematic asymptotic expansions are used to derive fully nonlinear long wave model equations for the scaled interface motion and corresponding flow fields. For the case of an inclined plane, higher order …

Effect Of Polymorphic Phase Transformations Within An Alumina Layer On The Ignition Of Aluminum Particles, Mikhaylo Aleksiyovych Trunov

Dissertations

Experimental measurements of aluminum ignition temperature and models used to describe aluminum ignition are reviewed. It is shown that the current models cannot describe ignition of aluminum powders of different sizes and ignited under various experimental conditions. The properties of and phase changes occurring in the alumina scale existing on the surface of aluminum particles at different temperatures are systematically studied. The mechanism of aluminum oxidation is quantified and a new simplified ignition model is developed.

Thermogravimetry was used to study the oxidation of aluminum powders of various particle sizes and surface morphologies in oxygen at temperatures up to 1500°C. …

Facial Analysis In Video : Detection And Recognition, Peichung Shih

Dissertations

Biometric authentication systems automatically identify or verify individuals using physiological (e.g., face, fingerprint, hand geometry, retina scan) or behavioral (e.g., speaking pattern, signature, keystroke dynamics) characteristics. Among these biometrics, facial patterns have the major advantage of being the least intrusive. Automatic face recognition systems thus have great potential in a wide spectrum of application areas. Focusing on facial analysis, this dissertation presents a face detection method and numerous feature extraction methods for face recognition.

Concerning face detection, a video-based frontal face detection method has been developed using motion analysis and color information to derive field of interests, and distribution-based distance …

Interactions Of Ionic Liquids With Uranium And Its Implications On Biotransformation, Chengdong Zhang

Dissertations

Room temperature ionic liquids (ILs) are pure ionic compounds with melting points below 100°C, which have drawn great attention due to their many unique properties. They have been widely used in organic synthesis, analytical chemistry, and biochemistry. Although ionic liquids have been used to extract metals and radionuclides, there is no systematic study on the interactions of ILs with uranium and their effects on the biotransformation of uranium.

My research focused on: (1) the interactions between uranium and ionic liquids in aqueous solution; and (2) biotransformation of uranium in the presence of ILs. The interactions between three representative ionic liquids, …

Enhancing Web Marketing By Using Ontology, Xuan Zhou

Dissertations

The existence of the Web has a major impact on people's life styles. Online shopping, online banking, email, instant messenger services, search engines and bulletin boards have gradually become parts of our daily life. All kinds of information can be found on the Web. Web marketing is one of the ways to make use of online information. By extracting demographic information and interest information from the Web, marketing knowledge can be augmented by applying data mining algorithms. Therefore, this knowledge which connects customers to products can be used for marketing purposes and for targeting existing and potential customers. The Web …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Mechanically Alloyed Aluminum-Based Compounds As High Energy Density Materials, Xiaoying Zhu

Dissertations

A new type of metastable reactive powders for potential use as high energy density materials in propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics was developed. These powders are intended to replace aluminum typically added to energetic formulations to increase reaction enthalpy and temperature. The new materials are metastable aluminum-based alloys, which enable achievement of substantially reduced ignition temperatures and accelerated bulk burn rates compared to aluminum. Titanium and lithium were used as alloying components. The materials properties and characteristics leading to their enhanced combustion performance were investigated. The powders were prepared using mechanical alloying and characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy …

Structural Auditing Methodologies For Controlled Terminologies, Hua Min

Dissertations

Several auditing methodologies for large controlled terminologies are developed. These are applied to the Unified Medical Language System XXXX and the National Cancer Institute Thesaurus (NCIT). Structural auditing methodologies are based on the structural aspects such as IS-A hierarchy relationships groups of concepts assigned to semantic types and groups of relationships defined for concepts. Structurally uniform groups of concepts tend to be semantically uniform. Structural auditing methodologies focus on concepts with unlikely or rare configuration. These concepts have a high likelihood for errors.

One of the methodologies is based on comparing hierarchical relationships between the META and SN, two major …

Gas Chromatography On Self Assembled Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Mahesh Kumar Karwa

Dissertations

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are nano-sized carbon-based sorbents, which have high surface area, large aspect ratio, can be self-assembled and are known to be stable at high temperatures. It is therefore conceivable that separation techniques, such as, gas chromatography (GC) can benefit from their unique properties and nano-scale interactions. Self-assembly, in-contrast to packing these materials in a tube, prevents them from agglomeration and thus facilitates in retaining their nano-characteristics. In this research, novel substrates, such as, steel tubings, on a scaled-up level have been explored for the self-assembly process of CNTs, for applications such as gas chromatography, where the CNTs served …

Cross-Layer Design For Wireless Sensor Relay Networks, Lichuan Liu

Dissertations

In recent years, the idea of wireless sensor networks has gathered a great deal of attention. A distributed wireless sensor network may have hundreds of small sensor nodes. Each individual sensor contains both processing and communication elements and is designed in some degree to monitor the environmental events specified by the end user of the network. Information about the environment is gathered by sensors and delivered to a remote collector.

This research conducts an investigation with respect to the energy efficiency and the cross-layer design in wireless sensor networks. Motivated by the multipath utilization and transmit diversity capability of space-time …

Applications Of Room Temperature Ionic Liquids In Interfacial Polymerization, Lining Zhu

Dissertations

Room temperature ionic liquids (ILs), with their unique physical and chemical properties, have been of great interest in various areas of chemical science and engineering during the last decade. In this dissertation, polyurea and polyamide films with surface nanostructures were synthesized by interfacial polymerization (IP) with ILs without stirring. Both polymers were prepared at the interface between n-hexane and a series of 1 -alkyl-3-methylimidazolium ILs.

Nanoporous or nanofibrous polymer morphologies with various sizes ranging from 50 to 500 nm and geometries, depending on the ILs used, were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A correlation length of ~20nm and a …

Medium Access Control Design For All-Ip And Ad Hoc Wireless Network, Zaihan Jiang

Dissertations

Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol in a wireless network controls the access of wireless medium by mobile terminals, in order to achieve its fair and efficient sharing. It plays an important role in resource management and QoS support for applications. All-IP wireless WAN is fully IP protocol-based and it is a strong candidate beyond 3G (Third Generation Wireless Network). Ad hoc wireless network has recently been the topic of extensive research due to its ability to work properly without fixed infrastructure.

This dissertation is composed of two main parts. The first part pursues a Prioritized Parallel Transmission MAC (PPTM) design …

Female Hormonal Influences On Stress- And Drug-Induced Reinstatement Of Extinguished Amphetamine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference, Melissa Elaine Bleile

Dissertations

One Animal paradigm used to study addiction is conditioned place preference. CPP is achieved when an animal develops a preference for environmental stimuli previously paired with subjective effects of a rewarding drug. Women may experience greater drug sensitivity than men, most likely due to estrogen levels. The purpose of this experiment was to assess the effects of female sex hormones on drug sensitivity and their interaction with the primary factors causing relapse, stress or drug re-exposure. Female rats were ovariectomized and received replacement hormones to control circulating hormone levels. These groups of animals were tested for amphetamine (AMPH)-induced CPP and …

Development Decision-Making In St. Louis: Institutions, Incentives And Urban Development, William Ernst Winter

Dissertations

This study uses the example of St. Louis to identify how local leaders make decisions about development and what factors influence the type of projects chosen. Through an analysis of projects conducted in the downtown and two distressed neighborhoods, the study concludes that St. Louis has a system of development decision-making that is substantially privatized and decentralized. At the center of development activity are place-based entrepreneurs who understand the local market and work to change the incentive structure for reinvestment. The leadership of the private sector in planning and implementing development policy is the flipside of local institutions that are …

Evolutionary Epidemiology Of Endemic Gal¿Pagos Birds And Their Parasites, Noah Kerness Whiteman

Dissertations

In order to better understand parasite diversification, I went to the Gal¿pagos Islands to study the ecology and evolution of a model bird-parasite system, which included four phylogenetically independent ectoparasite lineages infecting the Gal¿pagos Hawk (Aves: Buteo galapagoensis). The parasites comprised two lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera), a lousefly (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) and an avian skin mite (Acari: Epidermoptidae). Ultimately, my goal was to examine ectoparasite evolutionary epidemiology and disease susceptibility in relation to the host¿s ecological and colonization history. At the outset, I hypothesized that parasite natural history was key in influencing the coalescent process. Accordingly, I found differences …

The Relationship Between Resource Allocation Patterns In Missouri K-12 Public School Districts And Student Performance, Aaron Ross Butler

Dissertations

The link between school funding and student achievement has been a topic of debate for many years. School leaders and policy makers have sought ways to increase student achievement while using educational funding in an efficient manner. Previous initiatives to examine the relationship between funding and achievement have included education production functions, standards-based reforms, reallocation of resources, and minimum funding levels. This study was designed to examine the relationship between resource allocation patterns and student achievement in 447 Missouri K-12 public schools. The relationship between school districts¿ resources and their achievement on the 10th grade mathematics and 11th grade communication …

Self-Deception And Other-Deception In Personality Assessment: Detection And Implications, Mary Lynn Starke

Dissertations

The present study utilized multiple methods of detecting self-deception and other-deception and explored potential implications for organizations hiring individuals exhibiting these tendencies. Participants were 242 undergraduate business students who completed self-ratings of extraversion and agreeableness under both ¿answer honestly¿ instructions and ¿answer as if you are applying for a job¿ instructions. Additionally, they completed the impression management and self-deceptive enhancement scales of the BIDR, the fake good scale and the good impression scale of the CPI, and took part in a role play with a trained observer. Individuals who knew the participants well provided ratings of participants¿ adjustment, integrity, interpersonal …

How Teacher Attitudes And Administrator Behaviors Affect Levels Of Technology Integration In The Classroom, Sheri Leigh Bradshaw

Dissertations

Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to evaluate how well teachers’ attitudes predict levels of technology integration into the classroom. This study also investigated whether perceived support from the administrator as the instructional leader was related to teachers’ levels of technology integration into the classroom. The population for this study included identified school districts in rural North Georgia. Utilizing the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) for the 2002-2003 school year, the researcher identified 5 peer districts: Franklin County, Gilmer County, Stephens County, Union County, and White County. All middle and high school teachers within a district were invited to …

Superintendents ’ Perceptions Of Clinical Supervision Practices In A District-Wide Implementation Program, Myrna Rae Ladner Bourgeois

Dissertations

In 1990 a new idea swept through the educational industry. Forty-nine school districts in Pennsylvania instituted a new form of organizational management called clinical supervision. In effect, this was a change in the relationship between administration and teachers concerning instructional behaviors. Formerly, when teachers were supervised and evaluated by administrators, they felt intimidated. They also felt their privacy was being invaded. Clinical supervision is an attempt to organize the methodology of teacher supervision while improving instruction. The purpose of this study was to provide data to the participating school districts for use in developing supervision, evaluation, and involvement training modification …

Assessing The Impact Of Ethical Training On Law Enforcement Personnel, Tina L. Lee

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the opinions of police officers in regards to satisfaction with ethics training. The participants in this study were police officers in city/municipal and county law enforcement agencies. Ethics training is very important in the field o f law enforcement because of the many temptations that officers face and the tremendous amount of authority that society gives to the police. In order to investigate officer’s satisfaction with ethics training, the Ethics Training Questionnaire (ETQ) was developed. This questionnaire contained two parts. The first part was completed by police administrators, and the second part …

Afterschool Intervention Programs’ Impact Upon Select Variables Among 10th Grade Students In The Education Longitudinal Stu D Y (Els) 2002 Dataset, Diane Jackson-Chapman

Dissertations

This researcher analyzed data from the database of the National Center for Educational Statistics: Education Longitudinal Studies (ELS) 2002. The study included responses from 743 principals in 752 schools and from 15,362 10th grade students from public, Catholic, and other private schools. The dissertation investigated if the percentage of school participation in afterschool/summer outreach programs could predict students’ perceptions of teachers, drug availability on campus, student misbehaviors and punishments, and attitudes toward school and grades. The independent variable was the percentage of students in afterschool/summer outreach programs as reported by principals. The dependent variables related to students’ responses to attitudes …