Many curricular innovations, including cross-curricular teaching, are started in schools without adequate teacher preparation and support, reducing the effectiveness of the interventions in supporting student learning. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the implementation of the cross-curricular connections teaching technique in middle schools. Research questions focused on how middle school teachers experienced implementation of cross-curricular teaching at the incident level and how teachers perceived cross-curricular teaching and its long-term value. Myers-Briggs personality type theory informed the study, supporting the postulation that teachers are more comfortable teaching from their personality types. Data from 10 middle school teachers from 3 urban and semirural parochial schools in the northeastern United States were collected through interviews, focus group sessions, journals, and documents such as lesson plans and classroom materials. Open coding was used within progressive and comparative analyses. Primary themes included teacher comfort with cross-curricular connections; various applications of the teaching technique; cross-curricular connections within lessons; time constraints in planning, preparation, and implementation; and creative enhancement of lessons. Recommendations included enhanced professional development, more planning time for teacher teams, and more research about the technique. Positive social change implications include sustaining teachers' adoption and implementation of cross-curricular instruction in support of student achievement.

In current study, a mechanism to extract traffic related information such as congestion and incidents from textual data from the internet is proposed. The current source of data is Twitter, however, the same mechanism can be extended to any kind of text available on the internet. As the data being considered is extremely large in size automated models are developed to stream, download, and mine the data in real-time. Furthermore, if any tweet has traffic related information then the models should be able to infer and extract this data. To pursue this task, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Natural Language Processing techniques are used. These models are designed in such a way that they are able to detect the traffic congestion and traffic incidents from the Twitter stream at any location. Currently, the data is collected only for United States. The data is collected for 85 days (50 complete and 35 partial) randomly sampled over the span of five months (September, 2014 to February, 2015) and a total of 120,000 geo-tagged traffic related tweets are extracted, while six million geo-tagged non-traffic related tweets are retrieved. The classification models for detection of traffic congestion and incidents are trained on this dataset. Furthermore, this data is also used for various kinds of spatial and temporal analysis. A mechanism to calculate level of traffic congestion, safety, and traffic perception for cities in U.S. is proposed. Traffic congestion and safety rankings for the various urban areas are obtained and then they are statistically validated with existing widely adopted rankings. Traffic perception depicts the attitude and perception of people towards the traffic. It is also seen that traffic related data when visualized spatially and temporally provides the same pattern as the actual traffic flows for various urban areas. When visualized at the city level, it is clearly visible that the flow of tweets is similar to flow of vehicles and that the traffic related tweets are representative of traffic within the cities. With all the findings in current study, it is shown that significant amount of traffic related information can be extracted from Twitter and other sources on internet. Furthermore, Twitter and these data sources are freely available and are not bound by spatial and temporal limitations. That is, wherever there is a user there is a potential for data.

The first paper examines the value of a statistical life (VSL) for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) victims. We found VSL values to be higher for OHCA victims than for people who die in road traffic accidents and a lower-bound estimate of VSL for OHCA would be in the range of 20 to 30 million Swedish crowns (SEK). The second paper concerns hypothetical bias in contingent valuation (CV) studies. We investigate the link between the determinants and empirical treatment of uncertainty through certainty calibration and find that the higher the confidence of the respondents the more we can trust that stated WTP is correlated to actual WTP. The third paper investigates the performance of two communication aids (a flexible community analogy and an array of dots) in valuing mortality risk reductions for OHCA. The results do not support the prediction of expected utility theory, i.e. that WTP for a mortality risk reduction increases with the amount of risk reduction (weak scope sensitivity), for any of the communication aids. The fourth paper presents a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the effects of dual dispatch defibrillation by ambulance and fire services in the County of Stockholm. The intervention had positive economic effects, yielding a benefit-cost ratio of 36, a cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) of € 13 000 and the cost per saved life was € 60 000. The fifth paper explores how different response times from OHCA to defibrillation affect patients’ survival rates by using geographic information systems (GIS). The model predicted a baseline survival rate of 3.9% and reducing the ambulance response time by 1 minute increased survival to 4.6%. The sixth paper analyzes demographic determinants of incident experience and risk perception, and the relationship between the two, for eight different risk domains. Males and highly educated respondents perceive their risks lower than what is expected compared to actual incident experience.

This paper provides an account of early Japanese immigration to Canada in the years between 1877 and 1908 from the point of view of the Japanese Imperial government of the time. Drawing on Japanese diplomatic correspondence uncovered by Toshiji Sasaki in his 1999 work "Nihon-jin Kanada imin-shi" and accounts from Japanese-language newspapers published in Vancouver during the period, I examine the Japanese experience in Canada and describe how Japanese officials and emigrants responded to Canadian efforts to restrict Japanese emigration to Canada, culminating in the Vancouver Riot of 1907. I show how, when faced with this diplomatic crisis, Japanese officials reacted only reluctantly and, for the most part, ineffectually to limit emigration to Canada. The result of such restrictions as ultimately were imposed on the emigration of Japanese workers was not the end of Japanese emigration but the beginning of permanent settlement by Japanese families in Canada.

Research on road safety has been of great interest to engineers and planners for decades. Regardless of modeling techniques, a serious factor of inaccuracy - in most past studies - has been data aggregation. Nowadays, most freeways are equipped with continuous surveillance systems making disaggregate traffic data readily available ; these have been used in few studies. In this context, the main objective of this dissertation is to capitalize highway traffic data collected on a real-time basis at the moment of accident occurrence in order to expand previous road safety work and to highlight potential further applications. To this end, we first examine the effects of various traffic parameters on type of road crash as well as on the injury level sustained by vehicle occupants involved in accidents, while controlling for environmental and geometric factors. Probit models are specified on 4-years of data from the A4-A86 highway section in the Ile-de -France region, France. Empirical findings indicate that crash type can almost exclusively be defined by the prevailing traffic conditions shortly before its occurrence. Increased traffic volume is found to have a consistently positive effect on severity, while speed has a differential effect on severity depending on flow conditions. We then establish a conceptual framework for incident management applications using real-time traffic data on urban freeways. We use dissertation previous findings to explore potential implications towards incident propensity detection and enhanced management

Magistriniame darbe nagrinėjamas pakartotinis informacijos ir žinių panaudojimas IT pagalbos tarnybose. Trumpai apžvelgti svarbiausi tokio tipo organizacijų veiklos principai, kurie standartizuojami taikant ITIL metodologiją. Darbo tikslas – sukurti IT trikčių registravimo sistemą, kuri panaudodama sukauptą informaciją apie praeityje įvykusias IT triktis spręstų dabartines problemas. Siekiant šio tikslo pasirinkta taikyti neraiškiąją logiką ir atveju paremtą samprotavimą. Darbe pateikiama neraiškiosios logikos ir atveju paremto samprotavimo teorinė apžvalga ir praktinės pritaikymo galimybės, apžvelgiamos intelektualios IT trikčių registravimo sistemos. Atlikus tyrimą ir įvertinus anksčiau sukurtas intelektualias IT trikčių registravimo sistemas, formuojamas naujosios modelis. Nauja sistema, pritaikiusi atveju paremtą samprotavimą ir neraiškiąją logiką, pateikia galimus IT trikčių sprendimus jos naudotojui, tai yra IT pagalbos tarnybos darbuotojui. Sistema yra nepriklausoma nuo kalbos, nes atskirų atvejų paieška vykdoma taikant neraiškiąją logiką. Darbą sudaro 4 dalys: įvadas, IT organizacijos pagal ITIL samprata, teorinė neraiškiosios logikos ir atveju paremto samprotavimo apžvalga, praktinis neraiškiosios logikos pritaikymas IT trikčių registravime bei išvados ir siūlymai, literatūros sąrašas. Darbo apimtis – 75 p. teksto be priedų, 26 iliustr., 5 lent., 60 bibliografiniai šaltiniai. Atskirai pridedami darbo priedai. / The final Master thesis analyses the reuse of information and knowledge in IT helpdesk organizations. Briefly are discussed most important activities of such companies, that are standardized according ITIL. The main goal of the Master thesis is development of IT help-desk ticketing tool, which would reuse past information and knowledge in order to resolve current problems. Adaptation of fuzzy logic and case based reasoning is chosen to accomplish this goal. The second part of work contains theoretical information about fuzzy logic and cased based reasoning, practical application of these sciences; also discusses intelligent IT help-desk incident ticketing systems. After the research of scientific articles about intelligent IT help-desk systems and application of fuzzy logic and case based reasoning, the new model of IT trouble tickets system is created. The new system suggests possible solutions of an IT incident. The solution is found among previous incidents using fuzzy logic. Volume of the thesis – 75 p. of text without appendices, 26 figures, 5 tables, 60 bibliographic sources.

This paper provides an account of early Japanese immigration to Canada in the years between 1877 and 1908 from the point of view of the Japanese Imperial government of the time. Drawing on Japanese diplomatic correspondence uncovered by Toshiji Sasaki in his 1999 work "Nihon-jin Kanada imin-shi" and accounts from Japanese-language newspapers published in Vancouver during the period, I examine the Japanese experience in Canada and describe how Japanese officials and emigrants responded to Canadian efforts to restrict Japanese emigration to Canada, culminating in the Vancouver Riot of 1907. I show how, when faced with this diplomatic crisis, Japanese officials reacted only reluctantly and, for the most part, ineffectually to limit emigration to Canada. The result of such restrictions as ultimately were imposed on the emigration of Japanese workers was not the end of Japanese emigration but the beginning of permanent settlement by Japanese families in Canada.

Häufig werden bei der Implementierung von QM-Modellen die damit verbundenen Lernsituationen und die Lernanforderungen der Mitarbeiter nicht berücksichtigt. Durch das Qualitätsmanagement werden jedoch neue Situationen im Arbeitsalltag definiert, die vom Mitarbeiter erfüllt oder geschaffen werden. Diese Veränderungen bzw. Ziele stellen besondere Lernanforderungen an die Tätigkeitsabläufe und individuellen Kompetenzen von Altenpflegekräften. Die vorliegende Untersuchung verhilft zu einer Aufklärung des Zusammenhangs von Lernen und Qualitätsmanagement, mit Blick auf spezifische Lernanforderungen und individuelle Kompetenzentwicklung von Mitarbeitern in Altenpflegeeinrichtungen. Diese Arbeit verfolgt die Zielstellung, Lernanforderungen und Lernbereiche durch Erweiterung und Entwicklung individueller Kompetenzen von Altenpflegekräften bei der Implementierung von Qualitätsmanagement und im Rahmen der Qualitätsentwicklung zu erheben und miteinander zu vergleichen. Im Mittelpunkt stehen dabei die Analyse der Bewältigung von Alltagsanforderungen von Altenpflegepersonal sowie die Untersuchung von Situationsbeschreibungen und kritischen Ereignissen (Critical Incidents) mittels der Critical Incident Technique sowie weiterhin Maßnahmen zur Veränderung von strukturellen und organisatorischen Abläufen und Handlungen in der Betreuung und Pflege von Bewohnern in Altenpflegeeinrichtungen. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchung zeigen auf, dass Qualitätsentwicklung auf der einen Seite Kompetenzentwicklung, aber andererseits auch eine Entwicklung von Defiziten und einen Kompetenzverlust der Mitarbeiter begünstigen kann, und Kompetenzentwicklung benötigt. Weiterhin werden organisatorische und strukturelle Einflüsse auf die Kompetenzentwicklung sowie die erforderlichen Veränderungen und Voraussetzungen erläutert, um überhaupt ein Lernen und die Entwicklung von Kompetenzen zu ermöglichen.

It is essential for service companies to understand how their customer service experiences are formed. This is especially important since service experiences are highly subjective and involve customers cognitively, emotionally and behaviorally. Although customer service experiences are a well recognised research topic in both, culinary arts and service research, dynamic interactions, activities and the customers’ active involvement have so far gained little attention. As a consequence the approach in previous research paints a rather static picture of customer service experiences. By introducing the principles of service dominant logic a first person view and the understanding of drivers of customer service experiences could be facilitated. The overall aim of the thesis is to extend and deepen the understandin of drivers of favourable and unfavourable customer service experiences.The context selected is the restaurant context. The overall aim is reflected in four intermediate aims. Two separate studies were conducted. First a two-stage questionnaire based study, describing the phone reservation encounter compared to dining satisfaction; second a critical incident technique study including 195 short narratives of customers’ favourable and unfavourable service experiences at restaurants. Interview data were analysed according to constant comparative analysis principles.The main empirical contributions of this thesis are the move from static descriptions of service to examining dynamic drivers of favourable and unfavourable customers’ service experiences, and especially the analysis of social interactions as a driver of service experiences and the categorisation of drivers. Theoretically the thesis introduces the experience driver constellation, reflecting the dynamic process of co-creation in specific situations,when favourable and unfavourable customer service experiences are formed. Suggestions are made to develop the Five Aspects Meal Model and the Experience Room Framework through the addition of actors, the exterior environment and organisational routines to the models.

Incident Management Systems used in New Zealand have their origins in the fire-fighting organisations of the United States of America in the 1970’s. They began in an atmosphere of disciplined quasi-military emergency response organizations. Emergency management research, theory and practice have since evolved to incorporate comprehensive facets acknowledging disasters are about people, individually and collectively and their environment. Emergency Management now includes addressing psycho-social aspects. New Zealand emergency services adopted the Coordinated Incident Management System (CIMS) as a result of a requirement following the Cave Creek disaster of 1995, where a multi- agency response to the event was found to be unsatisfactorily managed. Emergency management in the modern era now requires the orchestration of many and varied agencies and organisations including government and non-government organisations. These organisations are not necessarily suited to command type management styles and during a recovery phase of an incident, an approach involving a coordination style is more appropriate than a command style. An examination of the 2004 eastern Bay of Plenty flood event highlights that improved coordination by using a suitable incident management system benefits the response and recovery process. The Eastern Bay of Plenty community has social and cultural characteristics that impact on the effectiveness of emergency management outcomes. An incident management system that improves communication within the multi-agency organisation and between an emergency management organisation and the disaster-affected communities contributes to overall trauma reduction by stress reduction and facilitating early support and interventions. This allows where necessary, for modern emergency management to use systems that can utilise the unique community cultures, structures and networks that form the dynamic communities that they serve. If disasters magnify pre-existing social and community problems then the incident management system model used in a disaster can determine the degree of magnification.