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The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Lessons About Evaluating Health-Coverage Advocacy Across Multiple Campaigns And Foundations, Leslie Foster, Mary Harrington, Sheila Hoag, Debra Lipson

The Foundation Review

This article draws on a dozen years’ experience in evaluating major consumerhealth advocacy initiatives to build the knowledge base about advocacy evaluation. The authors explain how their evaluations were strengthened by articulating a detailed theory of change and emphasizing assessment of interim outcomes from many perspectives and methods.

Even with comprehensive data and integrated analysis, however, some ambiguity in the results is inevitable; there is no completely objective way to determine the effectiveness of an advocacy initiative. Moreover, sometimes solid or even exceptional advocacy efforts do not lead to desired policy outcomes. Advocacy initiatives that fail initially may be groundwork …

Designing Technical-Assistance Programs: Considerations For Funders And Lessons Learned, Jennifer Lyons, Sheila Dunleavy Hoag, Cara Orfield, Sonya Streeter

The Foundation Review

As foundations continue to provide grantees with technical assistance in addition to financial support, it is important to understand what works well, for whom, and in what circumstances. This reflective practice article aims to help funders who have identified a problem amenable to technical assistance to develop a strong program by providing support to a group of organizations addressing similar problems or by providing customized individual support.

Drawing on insights from evaluations of two technical-assistance programs, this article recommends five key issues for funders to consider when offering such a program: whose priorities will shape the agenda, how group composition …

Tests Of Lorentz Symmetry In The Gravitational Sector, Aurélien Hees, Quentin G. Bailey, Adrien Bourgoin, Hélène Pihan-Le Bars, Christine Guerlin, Christophe Le Poncin-Lafitte

Publications

Lorentz symmetry is one of the pillars of both General Relativity and the Standard Model of particle physics. Motivated by ideas about quantum gravity, unification theories and violations of CPT symmetry, a significant effort has been put the last decades into testing Lorentz symmetry. This review focuses on Lorentz symmetry tests performed in the gravitational sector. We briefly review the basics of the pure gravitational sector of the Standard-Model Extension (SME) framework, a formalism developed in order to systematically parametrize hypothetical violations of the Lorentz invariance. Furthermore, we discuss the latest constraints obtained within this formalism including analyses of the …

A Decision Support System For Strategic Maintenance Planning In Offshore Wind Farms, X Li, D Ouelhadj, X Song, D Jones, Et Al

Plymouth Business School

This paper presents a Decision Support System (DSS) for maintenance cost optimisation at an Offshore Wind Farm (OWF). The DSS is designed for use by multiple stakeholders in the OWF sector with the overall goal of informing maintenance strategy and hence reducing overall lifecycle maintenance costs at the OWF. Two optimisation models underpin the DSS. The first is a deterministic model that is intended for use by stakeholders with access to accurate failure rate data. The second is a stochastic model that is intended for use by stakeholders who have less certainty about failure rates. Solutions of both models are …

The Impact Of Paroxysmal Sympathetic Hyperactivity Following Traumatic Brain Injury On Intensive Care Unit Length Of Stay And Discharge Disposition., Kimberly S. Meyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Paroxysmal Sympathetic Hyperactivity (PSH) is a complication affecting a subset of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). It is associated with increased morbidity, longer lengths of stay, and delayed recovery (Perkes, Baguley, Nott, & Menon, 2010). The most prevalent signs and symptoms of PSH include unprovoked tachycardia, tachypnea, hypertension, dystonia, and diaphoresis (Lemke, 2007). If untreated, PSH can lead to impaired cerebral blood flow, sub-endocardial damage, dehydration, malnourishment, and contractures (Lemke, 2007). Results from this retrospective study indicate that there is no difference in intensive unit (ICU) length of stay in TBI patients with PSH compared to those without …

Retinoic Acid Signaling Regulates Krt5 Independently Of Stem Cell Markers In Submandibular Salivary Gland Epithelium., Timur Maratovich Abashev

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vitamin A metabolism, which produces the signaling molecule Retinoic Acid (RA), has been demonstrated to be important for growth and branching morphogenesis of mammalian embryonic salivary gland epithelium. However, it is not known whether RA functions directly within epithelial cells or in associated tissues that influence morphogenesis of salivary epithelium. Moreover, downstream targets of RA transcriptional regulation have not been identified. Here we show that canonical RA signaling occurs in multiple tissues of embryonic mouse salivary glands, including epithelium, associated parasympathetic ganglion neurons, and non‑neuronal mesenchyme. By culturing epithelium explants in isolation from other tissues we demonstrate that RA influences …

Assessing Moral Injury And Existential Well-Being In Returning Servicemembers Using The Spiritual Attitudes Inventory - Revised (2010)., Leann E. Armes-Bruce

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Military personnel returning from deployment often report a variety of distressing symptoms stemming from exposure to prolonged, extreme deployment stress, and traumatic experiences. In addition to reporting symptoms consistent with the diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, they are also known to report struggling with existential angst often leading to great despair and a sense of profound changes in the core of their being. While this phenomenon, referred to herein as Moral Injury, has traditionally received little attention, it is beginning to emerge as a potentially viable construct in practice and research and may assist in explaining the effects of war …

Leveling The Playing Field: Teacher Perception Of Integrated Stem, Engineering, And Engineering Practices, Bridgette Fincher

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions and approaches of 14 third-through-fifth grade Arkansan elementary teachers towards integrative engineering and engineering practices during 80 hours of integrated STEM professional development training in the summer and fall of 2014. This training was known as Project Flight. The purpose of the professional development was to learn integrated STEM content related to aviation and to write grade level curriculum units using Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design curriculum framework. The current study builds upon on the original research.

Using a mixed method exploratory, embedded QUAL[quan] case study design and a …

How To Improve Firm Performance Using Big Data Analytics Capability And Business Strategy Alignment?, S Akter, Wamba S Fosso, A Gunasekaran, R Dubey, Sj Childe

Plymouth Business School

The recent interest in big data has led many companies to develop big data analytics capability (BDAC) in order to enhance firm performance (FPER). However, BDAC pays off for some companies but not for others. It appears that very few have achieved a big impact through big data. To address this challenge, this study proposes a BDAC model drawing on the resource-based theory (RBT) and the entanglement view of sociomaterialism. The findings show BDAC as a hierarchical model, which consists of three primary dimensions (i.e., management, technology, and talent capability) and 11 subdimensions (i.e., planning, investment, coordination, control, connectivity, compatibility, …

Report Detailing The Development Of University Articulation Agreements And Course Syllabi Revisions For The Engineering Drafting & Design Technology Program At Salt Lake Community College, Michael Stenquist

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This project is an attempt to close the gap between local industry, higher education, and the Engineering Drafting and Design Technology (EDDT) department at Salt Lake Community College (SLCC). As a longtime drafting instructor in the EDDT department at SLCC, a need for change in industry from board drafting, to 2-D CAD, and now to 3-D CAD has occurred. Because of these changes, the program has continually been updated to meet the needs of the students and local industries. The purpose of this project detailed in this report was first, to explore the drafting needs of professionals working in the …

Improvements To Micro-Contact Performance And Reliability, Tod V. Laurvick

Theses and Dissertations

Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) based devices, and specifically microswitches, continue to offer many advantages over competing technologies. To realize the benefits of micro-switches, improvements must be made to address performance and reliability shortfalls which have long been an issue with this application. To improve the performance of these devices, the micro-contacts used in this technology must be understood to allow for design improvements, and offer a means for testing to validate this technology and determine when such improvements are ready for operational environments. To build devices which are more robust and capable of continued operation after billions of cycles requires that …

Simulation Of Aircraft Sortie Generation Under An Autonomic Logistics System, Gunduz Bingol

Theses and Dissertations

Parallel to the developments in diagnostic and prognostic technology, autonomic logistics systems (ALS) have been a potential improvement for the aircraft sortie generation process. Currently, Lockheed Martin and the Joint Program Office are developing a new autonomic logistics system for the multibillion F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighter project, which is named the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS). Generally, researchers make an analogy between the ALS and the human bodys autonomic nervous system since both of them monitor, control, and adjust autonomic responses to external stimuli. Based on this perspective, ALS aims to switch the Air Force logistics mentality from a …

Recent Desiccation-Related Ecosystem Changes At Lake Abert, Oregon: A Terminal Alkaline Salt Lake, Ron Larson, Joseph Eilers, Keith Kreuz, Wolf T. Pecher, Shiladitya Dassarma, Steve Dougill

Western North American Naturalist

Lake Abert, a terminal alkaline salt lake in south central Oregon, has been a key staging area for migratory waterbirds along the Pacific Flyway. In 2014, the lake shrank to about 5% of its maximum size, and its salinity increased from 75 g · L^–1 to 250 g · L^–1. This resulted in a major ecosystem shift from one dominated at higher trophic levels by invertebrates and waterbirds to one composed primarily of hypersaline-adapted microbes. A large variety of halophilic bacteria and archaea were also detected using 16S rRNA metagenomic sequence analysis. The loss of prey and …

Agricultural Adaptation To Drought In The Sri Lankan Dry Zone, Emily Burchfield, Jonathan Gilligan

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Droughts affect more people than any other natural disaster. Drought severity is not merely a function of precipitation; it emerges from a web of interrelations between human and natural systems. The impacts of drought are equally complex, shifting across temporal scales, economic sectors, and regions. Even in regions with similar hydroclimatic characteristics, there is tremendous variation in the effects of drought. This study combines satellite imagery, geospatial data, and qualitative data to identify the multi-scalar factors that drive variations in agricultural responses to drought. We analyzed eleven years of remotely sensed imagery to identify agricultural areas in which cultivation occurred …

Leading Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises In A Difficult Period: What Differentiates Success From Failure, Emmanuel Quansah

Student Scholarship

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the largest engines of job creation and innovation in the U.S. and many parts of the world--yet most of them fail within the first five years of being opened. While the factors that contribute to their failures have been well studied, there is little empirical research about how they survive difficult economic periods. How can SMEs compete and grow in the face of today's complex, turbulent, and fiercely competitive business environment? The aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of how leaders of successful SMEs enable their businesses to survive and …

Targeted Enforcement Against Illicit Trade In Tobacco Products, James Prieger, Jonathan D. Kulick, Mark A. R. Kleiman

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Illicit trade in tobacco is a substantial and growing problem in the U.S., causing loss of tax revenue, damage to public health, and threats to public safety. Decisions about enforcement against ITTP involve tradeoffs among competing objectives. Good policy design can improve the terms of those tradeoffs but cannot eliminate them. We examine questions about the allocation of enforcement resources against ITTP, and its distribution across activities, individuals, and organizations: in particular, whether and how to differentially target ITTP that involves violence or support for terrorism. We consider the problem of developing effective strategies for enforcement, applying both lessons from …

Student Veteran Success: A Grounded Theory Study, Peter W. Granger

Education Doctoral

Student veterans in undergraduate post-secondary education face many challenges. Current research addresses these unique challenges and offers recommendations for further research, as well as strategies for college administrators and faculty seeking to assist student veterans. However, the research does not address the strategies student veterans use to succeed. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to start this conversation. The objective of this study is to present a theory that predicts and explains student veterans’ success, using grounded theory methodology to examine student veteran strategies to succeed in college. Thirteen student veterans from two different colleges participated in the …

Examining Leadership Knowledge And Skills Development Opportunities For Physical Therapist Students: A Multiple Case Study Design, Elizabeth Clark

Education Doctoral

This study examined leadership knowledge and skills development in accredited physical therapist programs. Data were triangulated across program director and faculty member interviews, course descriptions and student learning outcomes. The use of the FINHOP framework by Schafer et al. (2007) facilitated an analysis of the data and a delineation of knowledge development versus skills acquisition. Additionally, programs with and without pro bono clinics were compared. This multiple case study examined four purposively recruited physical therapy programs. Four themes and related subthemes were identified through data analysis and included: (a) inconsistent definition of leadership; (b) leading leaders with subthemes professional socialization, …

Words Matter: A Content Analysis Study Of Public And Private Higher Education Mission Statements In The Middle States Region, Trina Marie Marquez

Education Doctoral

Postsecondary institutions are facing challenges in addressing demands of transparency, accountability, and rising costs. This quantitative content analysis study examined mission statements of higher education institutions based on the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Standard I Mission and Goals. The mission statement articulates the institutional purpose, indicates whom the institution serves, and what it intends to accomplish. Using signaling theory, the study sought to explore how language is used in the mission statement to communicate to constituents. This study examined 206 public and private institutional mission statements in the MSCHE region that confer baccalaureate and master’s degrees. DICTION …

Preventing Vocal Fold Dehydration Using Aerosolized Salinein An Excised Porcine Model, Mallory Lynn Hansen

Theses and Dissertations

Vocal fold hydration is important for efficient oscillation during voice production. Dehydration of the vocal fold surface is believed to produce adverse effects on the voice. Specifically, low environmental humidity, mouth breathing, and certain medical conditions may contribute to laryngeal and vocal fold dehydration. This dehydration effect may be quantified using the observed pressure and flow at the onset of phonation, operationally defined as phonation threshold pressure (PTP) and phonation threshold flow (PTF), respectively. Previous research has documented that nebulized isotonic saline (0.9% Na+Cl-) can reduce PTP. Additionally, the topical application of liquid saline increases vocal fold hydration in excised …

Effects Of Tethering Placement And Linker Variations On Antibody Stability On Surfaces, Rebecca Ellen Grawe

Theses and Dissertations

An antibody microarray consists of antibody bound to a surface. Antibody microarrays have great potential in many fields, particularly as a tool to detect antigens. Unfortunately, antibodies suffer from poor performance. A greater understanding of how antibodies interact with surfaces would improve microarray design and performance, but experimental methods fall short of being able to observe these interactions. Therefore molecular simulation has emerged as the primary method to study protein/surface interactions.The simulations here were coarse grain simulations performed using the model of Karanicolas and Brooks. Additionally, an advanced surface model was used that allows for different surface chemistries. PyMBAR analysis …

The Effects Of Social Identification And Organizational Identification On Student Commitment, Achievement And Satisfaction In Higher Education, S Wilkins, Mm Butt, D Kratochvil, Ms Balakrishnan

Plymouth Business School

The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of social and organizational identifications on student commitment, achievement and satisfaction in higher education. The sample comprised 437 students enrolled in an undergraduate or postgraduate programme in business or management. A model was developed and tested using structural equation modelling. It was found that organizational identification is a stronger predictor of student commitment, achievement and satisfaction than social identification. Although organizational identification was a strong predictor of student satisfaction, student commitment was better at explaining student achievement. The implications for higher education institutions are discussed. To the knowledge of the …

The Constitution V. The Convention: The Evolution Of The Court-Mandated Right To Counsel In The United States And Europe, Sara Sun Beale, Richard E. Myers Ii

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

No abstract provided.

How Far Have We Come And Where Do We Go From Here? A Culturally Sensitive Strategy For Judicial Independence In Myanmar, John M. Epling

Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law

No abstract provided.

Considerations For A Hotel Investment, Stephen Blake Marriott

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This writing will provide novice hotel investors, new owners, and hotel associates new insight on hotel investments. This writing discusses industry topics such as: the definition of a hotel asset, an overview of occupancy and transaction levels, different kinds of risk related to hotel investments, location, franchising, the hotel investment cycle, incremental and base impact, and hotel construction related issues. At the conclusion, the reader will be familiar with a few uncommon concepts that affect a hotel investment.

Emotional Labor: Surface Acting A Better Emotional Regulation Strategy For Dealers?, James Luverne Cox

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The performing of emotional regulation in the workplace, or emotional labor, has long been researched by scholars. The conclusion that most reached was that individuals performing this regulation were typically better off by changing their emotions felt to their emotions displayed, or what is termed as “deep acting”, rather than “surface acting”, or faking the emotion. This paper will further explore the thoughts behind this argument and propose that dealers that use deep acting are, in fact, more likely to experience emotional burnout due to the inability to constantly change inner emotional states. Additionally, the paper will also seek to …

Avoiding Discrimination And Filtering Of Qualified Candidates By Ats Software, Katarina Drucker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research paper will be to demonstrate the flaws in present-day hiring systems that may digitally eliminate or discriminate against qualified candidates.

A Performance Analysis Of Dorothy Rudd Moore's Sonnets On Love, Rosebuds, And Death, Cordelia Elizabeth Anderson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this document is to evaluate Dorothy Rudd Moore’s Sonnets on Love, Rosebuds, and Death through a performance analysis, and to discuss the significance of the Harlem Renaissance in relation to the song cycle. Moore used seven reputable poets from the Harlem Renaissance to compile this song cycle. The poets are Alice Dunbar Nelson, Clarissa Scott Delany, Gwendolyn Bennett, Langston Hughes, Arna Bontemps, Countee Cullen, and Helene Johnson. A few of them were a part of the core group that spurred this powerful movement. The Harlem Renaissance was a flourishing time in American history when African Americans felt …

Andre Jolivet's Fusion: Magical Music, Conventional Lyricism, And Japanese Influences Network To Create Concerto Pour Flute Et Piano And Sonate Pour Flute Et Piano, Kelly A. Collier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

André Jolivet’s Fusion, represents his formative style period, post-World War II. Fusion is a combination of Jolivet’s two earlier style-writing periods for flute, “magical music” and conventional lyricism. This study presents detailed analyses of two compositions reflecting this style period, Concerto pour flûte et piano and Sonate pour flûte et piano, by André Jolivet. In order to acquaint the reader with Jolivet’s interest in ancient musical cultures, a brief biography offers information on Jolivet’s interests in ancient rituals and mysticism. As appointed Director of the Comédie-Française in 1945, Jolivet extensively travelled and experienced new musical phenomena. These musical phenomena, Japanese …