Digital Commons Network^™

Working Conditions For K-12 Distance & Online Learning Teachers In Canada, Michael K. Barbour

“Teacher unions in Canada have had concerns about developments in online learning, but have generally been supportive if they have felt conditions were appropriate,” according to the Director of Research and Technology at the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF). This sentiment has been echoed by the researchers involved in the annual State of the Nation: K- 12 E-Learning in Canada. These researchers have also underscored the fact that teacher unions have also been active in conducting research to investigate how teaching in the distance education and online learning environment is different than teaching in the classroom, and what impact that …

Midwives’ And Patients’ Perspectives On Disrespect And Abuse During Labor And Delivery Care In Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study, Sahai Burrowes, Sarah Jane Holcombe, Dube Jara, Danielle Carter, Katheryn Smith

Background: It is increasingly recognized that disrespect and abuse of women during labor and delivery is a violation of a woman’s rights and a deterrent to the use of life-saving, facility-based labor and delivery services. In Ethiopia, rates of skilled birth attendance are still only 28% despite a recent dramatic national scale up in the numbers of trained providers and facilities. Concerns have been raised that women's perceptions of poor quality of care and fear of mistreatment might contribute to this low utilization. This study examines the experiences of disrespect and abuse in maternal care from the perspectives of …

Utilization Of Traditional, Complementary And Alternative Medicine And Mental Health Among Patients With Chronic Diseases In Primary Health Care Settings In Cambodia, Siyan Yi, Chanrith Ngin, Sovannary Tuot, Pheak Chhoun, Tyler Fleming, Carinne M. Brody

Background: Coping with chronic illnesses often involves major lifestyle changes that may lead to poor mental health. Furthermore, in order to treat the chronic conditions, many sufferers in Asia turn to traditional, complementary and alternative medicines (TCAM). This study explores prevalence of TCAM use and factors associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms among patients with chronic diseases in Cambodia.

Methods: In 2015, this cross-sectional study was conducted with outpatients receiving treatment and care for chronic diseases in two urban and two rural primary health centers. Every eligible patient was randomly selected at the health centers using a systematic sampling procedure. …

High Prevalence Of Non-Communicable Diseases And Associated Risk Factors Amongst Adults Living With Hiv In Cambodia, Pheak Chhoun, Sovannary Tuot, Anthony D. Harries, Nang Thu Thu Kyaw, Khuondyla Pal, Carinne M. Brody, Siyan Yi

BACKGROUND:

With rapid expansion of antiretroviral therapy for HIV, there are rising life expectancies among people living with HIV. As a result, co-morbidity from non-communicable diseases in those living and aging with HIV is increasingly being reported. Published data on this issue have been limited in Cambodia. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia and associated risk factors in adults living with HIV in Cambodia.

METHODS:

This cross-sectional study was conducted in five provinces of Cambodia from May-June 2015. Information was obtained on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics through face-to-face interviews using …

Prevention Of Common Pathogens: Development Of Quantitative Structural Activity Relationships For Quaternary Ammonium Compounds Against Foodborne Pathogens And A Computational Analysis Of Intergenic Srna In Streptococcus Pyogenes, Ethan C. Rath

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The presence of pathogenic bacteria on the surface of meat and produce causes many issues for the consumer including food-borne disease and infection. There are many techniques that have been proposed for food sterilization. Most of these techniques pose many problems including meat discoloration, toxic residues, inefficient application, and high cost of use. One compound, Cetylpyridinium Chloride (CPC), has become the gold standard for food antimicrobials. However, CPC is in need of being replaced due to the development of bacterial resistance, toxic residue developed during the treatment process, and environmental hazards. Using Quantitative Structural-Activity Relationships (QSAR) we have developed predictive …

Characteristics Of Real-Time, Non-Critical Incident Debriefing Practices In The Emergency Department., Nur-Ain Nadir, Suzanne Bentley, Dimitrios Papanagnou, Komal Bajaj, Stephan Rinnert, Richard Sinert

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Benefits of post-simulation debriefings as an educational and feedback tool have been widely accepted for nearly a decade. Real-time, non-critical incident debriefing is similar to post-simulation debriefing; however, data on its practice in academic emergency departments (ED), is limited. Although tools such as TeamSTEPPS® (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety) suggest debriefing after complicated medical situations, they do not teach debriefing skills suited to this purpose. Anecdotal evidence suggests that real-time debriefings (or non-critical incident debriefings) do in fact occur in academic EDs;, however, limited research has been performed on this subject. The objective of …

Teaching The Emergency Department Patient Experience: Needs Assessment From The Cord-Em Task Force., Kory S. London, Jeffrey Druck, Matthew Silver, Douglas Finefrock

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

INTRODUCTION: Since the creation of Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) patient satisfaction (PS) scores, patient experience (PE) has become a metric that can profoundly affect the fiscal balance of hospital systems, reputation of entire departments and welfare of individual physicians. While government and hospital mandates demonstrate the prominence of PE as a quality measure, no such mandate exists for its education. The objective of this study was to determine the education and evaluation landscape for PE in categorical emergency medicine (EM) residencies.

METHODS: This was a prospective survey analysis of the Council of Emergency Medicine Residency …

Design And Challenges Of A Randomized Clinical Trial Of Medical Expulsive Therapy (Tamsulosin) For Urolithiasis In The Emergency Department., Pamela K. Burrows, Judd E. Hollander, Allan B. Wolfson, Michael C. Kurz, Lorna Richards, Sara Difiore, Phillip Watts, Nivedita Patkar, Jeremy Brown, Stephen Jackman, Ziya Kirkali, John W. Kusek, Chloe Michel, Andrew C. Meltzer

Department of Emergency Medicine Faculty Papers

Urolithiasis or urinary stone disease has been estimated to affect about 1 in 11 Americans. Patients with urinary stone disease commonly present to the emergency department for management of their acute pain. In addition to providing analgesia, administration of drug (medical expulsive therapy) is often prescribed to assist passage of the urinary stone. In this methodology paper, we describe the design of a prospective, multi-center, randomized, double-blind placebo controlled clinical trial of the alpha-adrenergic blocker, tamsulosin, to evaluate its effectiveness as medical expulsive therapy. In addition, we describe the unique challenges of conducting a trial of this type within the …

Team Skills: Comparing Pedagogy In A Graduate Business School To That Of A College Of Pharmacy Professional Program, Sabra Brock, Zvi G. Loewy, F. Ellen Loh

Graduate School of Business Publications and Research

Aim/Purpose: To measure the change in team skills resulting from team projects in professional and graduate school courses, a pilot study was conducted among students in two courses in a graduate school of business and one in the pharmacy school of the same institution of higher learning. This pilot study evaluated (a) students receiving training and practice in working as part of a classroom team were able to translate the formal training into the belief they had improved routine team interactions and experienced benefits from the intervention, and (b) determine whether changes in perceived team skills acquired by graduate business …

High Ability Instructional Designs And Practices In Indiana, Katelynn Moats

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case-study design was to explore the similarities and differences amongst three high ability instructional models, including self-contained classrooms, pull-out programs, and cluster grouping, as well as the Educational practices of enrichment and accelerated learning, including grade skipping and single subject acceleration. This case study focused on identifying themes between each instructional model and Educational practices in Indiana school districts, with the inclusion of interviews with high ability curriculum coordinators and the analysis of pre-existing data, indicating the effectiveness of each and the performance of students, who are immersed within high ability Educational experiences. This study …

Identifying Problems And Solutions In Changing State Legislation Regarding Licensed Clinical Social Workers Providing Private Independent Mental Health Services, Dianna Cooper-Bolinskey

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

State regulated social work practice began in the 1960s; by the mid-1990s, all of the states within the United States regulated the profession through licensure. The purpose of licensure was ostensibly to protect the public and the profession; however, legislation defining social work practice varied vastly from state to state. The variation existed not only between states, but also within licensure categories with regard to the scope of practice of the social work profession. Licensed clinical social workers in some states could practice relatively independently, as they had the ability to diagnose, provide psychotherapy, and bill Medicaid, Medicare, and third …

Influence Of The Parent-Child Relationship Quality On Adhd And Odd Symptom Severity, Elaine A.T. Gilbert

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined the extent to which the Attachment and Relationship Frustration subscales are associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) symptom severity. There is minimal research examining attachment in relation to ADHD symptomology and only a few studies that consider ODD comorbidity in conjunction to ADHD and attachment. The present study builds upon previous research and considers the relationship between parent report of Attachment and Relationship Frustration, as measured by the PRQ, and ADHD as well as ODD symptoms. Archival data from 87 children evaluated for ADHD was used for the study. Data …

Personality Disorders As Endophenotypes Of Schizotypy In A Hypothetically Psychosis-Prone College Sample At Two Year Follow-Up, Kelly Schuder

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Certain personality disorders have been found to be present in the prodromal phase of schizophrenia at a higher rate than other personality disorders. The present study examines the incidence of personality disorder (PD) symptom endorsement and the rate of meeting diagnostic criteria for avoidant, paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal personality disorders between a group of psychometric schizotypes (SZT) and their matched controls (MC) at two-year follow-up. This study is a continuation of an existing 10-year longitudinal study that found that there were significant differences between the two groups (schizotypes and controls) in the number of symptom endorsements and the rate of …

Perceived Managerial And Leadership Behaviors Within A Moroccan Higher Education Institution, Siham Lekchiri

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine what behaviorally distinguishes effective and ineffective managers within a Moroccan Higher Education Institution (HEI) and explore the extent to which the findings of this study are either specific to the context/culture or are more general by conducting a comparative analysis to findings from similar replications of a French and a Hungarian HEIs. Critical Incident Technique (CIT) was the methodology deployed to collect data from participants in terms of how they perceive managers as either effective or non-effective. The collected data (CIs) were subjected to content and thematic analysis that resulted in derived …

Operationalizing Humility: A Model Of Situational Humility For Christian College Student Leaders, Scott T. Barrett

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study explored how college student leaders operationalize humility in their actions and what leads individuals to act with situational humility. There is a rise in narcissistic tendencies in college students (Twenge, Konrath, Campbell, & Bushman, 2008a, 2008b) and a decline in overall character traits (Burns, 2012; Hunter, 2000; Liddell & Cooper, 2012). Opposite the vice of narcissism sits the virtue of humility (Emmons, 2000; Exline & Geyer, 2004; Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Tangney, 2000). Using a grounded theory approach, the researcher looked to discover the process of humility development. Twenty six in depth interviews were conducted at three …

Spirituality And Masculinity: Discovering If Faith Influences The Social Construction Of Masculinity, Justin Heth

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand if spirituality influenced the social construction of masculinity in the lived experiences of college men. A phenomenological study was conducted using a social constructivist worldview by conducting 13 semistructured interviews at a four-year public university in the Midwest. The interviews were digitally recorded and analyzed revealing the emergence of six themes: (a) fathers shape their sons' understanding of masculinity, (b) emotions are acceptable to embrace, (c) spiritual men experience unique tensions with their peers, (d) spirituality sets men apart from their peers, (e) a spiritual guy code exists, and (f) spirituality influences …

Teacher Evaluations: Do Classroom Observations And Evaluator Training Really Matter?, Sarah J. Pies

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the minimum number of observations stated in a districts teacher evaluation plan, observation characteristics described in a districts evaluation plan, and the characteristic of those evaluating teachers had an impact on whether a school would receive a bonus or penalty point for Indianas A-F accountability model. This study analyzed both math and English/language arts bonus and penalty points for all schools whose district has been implementing the new mandated teacher evaluation plan since the 2012–2013 school year. This included 3,997 schools within 215 districts in Indiana. Overall, when predicting whether a …

Teacher Perspectives On Full Inclusion Of Students With Learning Disabilities In Saudi Arabia High Schools, Majed Alqahtani

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore attitudes as a basis for understanding perceptions. Also, better understanding will provide a research-validated basis from which to project pathways for change. This study employed a quantitative methodology and utilized multiple regressions and compared teachers perceptions in regard to inclusive setting for students with learning disabilities in all KSA high schools. The Opinion Relative to Integration survey included 25 questions divided into four factors as criterion variables: benefit of integration, integrated classroom management, ability to teach students with learning disabilities, and special versus integrated general Education” (Antonak & Larrivee, 1995, p. 144). …

The Impact Of Evidence Drive I/O And Processing Cores In A Forensics Distributed Processing Array, Todd D. Koonts

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As drive sizes increase at a relentless rate in computer systems, it has become far more time consuming to process the data sets for the forensic examiner. The advent of cloud computing and the significant size of data queries in e-discovery litigation has also significantly impacted the processing times for cases in the digital forensics field. It is not uncommon for significant delays to occur in processing of this digital evidence. Distributed Processing will likely become a primary method to process evidence in digital forensics due to these increasingly problematic conditions. While there are recommendations from companies that sell distributed …

Transitioning Teenagers Who Are Medically Fragile Severely Intellectually Delayed Into Adulthood: Perceptions Of Parents, School Staff, And Medical Community Members, Rebekah Scott

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parents and families of youth who are chronically ill are felt to have increased distress during the transition from youth into adulthood (Rapanaro, Bartu, & Lee, 2008). While parents historically have expressed some satisfaction with the transition services being provided, the research has only looked at individuals with severe intellectual disabilities and not at youth who are also medically fragile (Neece, Kraemer, & Blacher, 2009). Additionally, both the school and the medical field are shown to have needs to connect with the community; however, neither the school nor the medical community has been shown in the literature to work together …

A Security Visualization Analysis Methodology For Improving Network Intrusion Detection Efficiency, David Nathan Freet

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The flood of raw data generated by intrusion detection and other network monitoring devices can be so overwhelming that it causes great difficulty in detecting patterns that might indicate malicious traffic. In order to more effectively monitor and process network and forensic data within a virtualized environment, Security Visualization (SecViz) provides software-based visual interfaces to analyze live and logged network data within the domains of network security, network and cloud forensics, attack prevention, compliance management, wireless security, secure coding, and penetration testing. Modern networks generate enormous amounts of data that is often stored in logs. Due to the lack of …

Adult Learning And The Effect Of Education And Gender Interaction On Type 2 Diabetics, Abdi H. Nur

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to investigate whether the relationships between Education and medication and healthy exercise adherence were the same among female and male Type 2 diabetic adult learners. The purpose included also exploring whether registered nurses would alter their approach to diabetic adult learners Education on medication and healthy exercise adherence considering patients gender and Education levels. The study also investigated the correlation between diabetes duration and medication and healthy exercise adherence. The research investigation employed mixed methods sequential explanatory design using qualitative data to help explain the quantitative findings. The quantitative study was …

“What Sort Of Communists Are You?” The Struggle Between Nationalism And Ideology In Poland Between 1944 And 1956, Jan Ryszard Kozdra

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The period between 1944 and 1956, also known as the “Stalinist period”, is one of the most controversial and turbulent in Polish history. The Polish communist party launched the project of restructuring Polish society, whose historically wellestablished national identity seemed incompatible with the communist project. Firstly, the communists effected a demographic change that resulted in a near monoethnic state. Simultaneously, they introduced a centrally planned economy, transformed state symbolism, initiated a national education system, attempted to reshape popular attitudes to religion, and launched a massive propaganda campaign to reinforce and popularize their objectives.

This study seeks to investigate the communists’ …

Dialogue Not Diatribe: Methods For A Practice Of Socio-Humanitarian Playwriting, Siobhan Dow-Hall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This dissertation is the result of a practice-led research exploration of how creative writing practice may be expanded and developed with particular application to the writing of what I refer to as socio-humanitarian drama. I have developed this notion to promote discussion and consideration of specific issues of social justice and human rights within playwriting. While this practice-led research enlisted reflective practice in the task of developing and extending my own writing practice, this dissertation does also outline specific, practical modes of creative process, or exercises, that could be applied more broadly for others who may seek to develop their …

Belonging: A Place For, And In, Children’S Poetry A Hybrid Thesis Including Creative Works, Articles And Exegetical Discussion, Sally Murphy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This hybrid thesis is comprised of three creative works – two collections of poetry for children and a verse novel – as well as three journal articles examining aspects of children’s poetry, and exegetical discussion of the creative works and of key concepts influencing both the creative and discursive elements of the thesis.

The first creative work, All About Me, is a collection of poetry for early childhood readers and their carers. It consists of 20 poems, and as a finished manuscript mirrors the length of a picture book format collection. The poems explore and highlight aspects of the …

Survival After Violence: The Post-Separation Journey Of Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence, Sarah Jayne Parkin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a complex social issue that remains highly prevalent in communities across the world. The impact of IPV includes short-term and long-term psychological, physical, financial and social consequences for women who experience it as well at their immediate and extended families, networks and communities. As research has continued to evolve there has been a move towards exploring the interaction of systemic factors that influence the occurrence of IPV and consequences of IPV long-term. Although researchers have identified that the long-term outcomes for women after leaving an IPV relationship can vary, it appears more research is required …

Coaching Parents Of Children With Adhd: A Western Australian Study, Susan Mary Hughes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Parents of children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often experience emotional and behavioural difficulties that contribute to stress and conflict in their family relationships. ADHD Parent Coaching is a promising intervention for these families; however, little is known about its effectiveness. This study explored the effects parent coaching had on parents of children with ADHD using descriptive case study methodology. A secondary purpose was to measure any reduction in stress and homework problems. A workshop offering solutions to homework-related issues was conducted over two consecutive weeks. Parents who attended (N=10) were offered parent coaching, and five parents were subsequently coached …

Inside The Black Box: Political Economy Of The Trans-Pacific Partnership's Encryption Clause, Han-Wei Liu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Among other provisions of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, a new clause on encryption technology (‘Encryption Clause’) is particularly noteworthy. By tracing the history of decades-long encryption control, this article underscores how this clause implicates international order. Modern encryption technology was conceived and developed during World Wars. Painted by such a war-time legacy, encryption has been treated as a ‘dual-use’ technology and has been subject to export control since the end of World War II via the Coordinating Committee for the Control of Multinational Trade (COCOM) and, later, the Wassenaar Arrangement. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Western …

The Legality Of Data Residency Requirements: How Can The Trans-Pacific Partnership Help?, Shin-Yi Peng, Han-Wei Liu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Article 14.13 of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement – the data localization (DL) clause – represents the first time that a far-reaching preferential trade agreement (PTA) seeks to reduce protectionism arising from data residency (DR) requirements. The DL clause, however, is linked to a loose GATT Article XX-like exception: Article 14.13(3)(b), which allows the parties to maintain DR measures to achieve a legitimate public policy objective as long as the measure in question can satisfy the ‘necessity test’. The ambiguity of the DL exception will be clarified by TPP tribunals when a real dispute occurs. After examining the rationales of …

The Eu As A Global Actor In Reforming The International Investment Regime In Light Of Sustainable Development, Stefanie Schacherer

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The international investment law regime is undergoing a process of reform. The guiding paradigm of this reform is the principle of sustainable development. The EU, through its exclusive competence over foreign direct investment, has become a significant actor on the stage of international investment law governance. According to recent statements of the EU institutions, the EU seeks to shape its policy to be consistent with the principle of sustainable development. In more concrete terms this means that EU investment law making shall be consistent with core labour standards, environmental protection and the conservation of natural resources as well as with …