During this time of nursing shortages, hospitals that want to maintain the competitive edge must seek ways to recruit and retain a competent nursing staff. This study was conducted in a large hospital that strives to be the primary health care provider and employer of choice in its geographic region. The purpose of the study was to assess new nurses' perceptions of nursing practice and their expectations for meeting professional goals. Sixty-seven new nurses from 13 hospital departments were interviewed. Comprehensive orientation, continuing education, and mentoring were important values identified by this group of nurses. Communication with physicians and fear of causing accidental harm to patients were expressed concerns. Data from this survey will be used by the organization to change orientation policies to better meet the needs of the nursing staff and improve recruitment and retention of nurses.

High-accuracy indoor localization and tracking systems are essential for many modern applications and technologies. However, accurate location estimation of mov- ing targets remains challenging. Various factors can degrade the estimation accuracy, including the Doppler effect, interference, and high noise. This thesis addresses the challenges of indoor localization and tracking systems and proposes several solutions. Using a novel signal design, which we named Differential Zadoff-Chu, we developed al- gorithms that accurately estimate the distances of static and moving targets, even un- der random Doppler shifts. We then developed a high-resolution multi-target ranging algorithm that estimates the ranges to targets at proximity based on the Levenberg- Marquardt algorithm. These ranging algorithms require a line of sight (LOS) between the transmitter and the receiver. Therefore, we designed an algorithm to classify re- ceived signals as LOS and non-LOS by exploiting a room’s geometry. Transforming distances into a 2D or 3D location and orientation requires solving an optimization problem. We propose using three nodes arranged as an isosceles triangle to deter- mine the position and orientation of a target. Utilizing the geometry of the isosceles triangle, we developed a highly accurate location and orientation estimation algo- rithm by solving a constrained optimization problem. Finally, we propose a Kalman filter to improve the tracking accuracy of moving targets even under non-LOS condi- tions. This filter fuses the position and orientation estimated using our Riemannian localization algorithm with the position and orientation estimated using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) to obtain a more accurate estimate of a moving target’s position and orientation. We validated the proposed algorithms via numerical simu- lations and real experiments using low-cost ultrasound hardware. The results showed that the proposed algorithms outperformed current state-of-the-art in accuracy and complexity.

Local school boards are complicated governing bodies wrapped in the political tangle of their legal responsibilities, constituents' wishes, and the educational needs of the children. How then do some school board chairpersons unravel this political tangle and move their board forward while others become entrapped in the political web? This concept and question lead to the examination of the leadership orientations of local school board chairpersons in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Literature was reviewed concerning school board leadership. The historical perspective of school boards as well as the legal responsibilities granted them as agents of the state were also reviewed. A questionnaire was sent to all Virginia School Board chairs, superintendents, and school board members in which they rated the chairperson on desirable board characteristics. Based on the responses of the three groups of participants, these characteristics were categorized according to the four leadership orientations described by Bolman and Deal (1984). The lack of validity evidence undermined confidence in drawing inferences about identification of a dominant leadership orientation although modestly higher means were reported for the structural and humanistic orientations. The lack of convergent and discriminate validity evidence in this analysis preempted any meaningful test of the theory advanced by this research concerning local school board chairs in Virginia. / Ed. D.

Organizations incur $83 billion per year in losses because of negative consumer experiences. Leadership behaviors and the various aspects of organizational life affect employee-customer interactions. With psychological empowerment theory as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this correlational study was to investigate the relationship between the independent variables of psychological empowerment (PE), dimensions of PE (e.g., meaning, self-efficacy, influence), tenure, education, and the dependent variable of customer orientation (CO). Employees of a regional grocery retailer in the northeastern United States comprised the population of the study. Data collection involved the use of paper surveys to measure individual worker levels of PE, meaning, self-efficacy, influence, and CO, as well as demographic characteristics. A correlational analysis determined that a statistically significant relationship (p < .05) existed between all independent variables and the dependent variable, with all correlations having an effect greater than .36. A hierarchical linear regression established a moderating effect of education on self-efficacy and CO (F(1,176) = 11.333, R2 = .024, p < .05) and influence and CO (F(1,176) = 25.596, R2 = .017, p < .05). No moderating effect existed for tenure. Managers may benefit from this study by enacting organizational PE initiatives to improve CO in human resources, training, and strategy. The implications for social change include improvements in organizational citizenship behavior leading to positive social outcomes for internal and external stakeholders.

The traditional new graduate nurse (NGN) orientation process places NGN with an experienced preceptor for 24 weeks and requires clinical skills checklists to be completed by the preceptor, a practice which is not an evidence-based practice for orienting NGNs. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to develop an evidence-based orientation to decrease time requirements and standardize the processes and evaluation of the NGN in the emergency department. The project was informed by Benner's novice to expert theory and focused on acquisition of clinical skills. The project team included 6 stakeholders: the Doctor of Nursing Practice student-leader, the unit manager, and several preceptors and novice nurses. The current evidence was identified utilizing various search terms via OVID, CINAHL, and MEDLINE. Five emergency department nurse residency programs and 7 rubric-based criterion articles were identified and evaluated. The team synthesized the available evidence to create the program. Resulting products included guidelines, evaluation rubrics, and projected pathways for ongoing development. Content validation was undertaken using peer review by 2 nurse scholars with area expertise, after which the project team revised all products based on feedback. Together, these products comprise an evidence-based solution to the problematic orientation of NGNs in the institution's emergency department. Adoption of methods that have proven valuable in undergraduate education, such as incorporation of syllabi and rubrics, may increase retention and improve clinical judgment in the NGN. These improved educational outcomes will, in turn, promote improved health outcomes for patients. Outcomes for the project will be monitored using retention rates and the results of the Casey-Fink Graduate Nurse Experience Survey.

Textbooks, curriculum packages, standards, professional development and pre-service education, and national advocacy groups all utilize orientation terms to identify the pedagogical approaches, though no model for orientations has currently been validated against the lived experience of teachers. The purpose of the dissertation is to research a practitioner-informed orientation model for social studies, utilizing the lived experiences of teachers including their connections to and with technology. As a preliminary investigation to explore and understand the construct of orientations, the initial set of participants was bound to three secondary social studies teachers from an urban, suburban, and rural district, respectively. Data collection was completed through a series of detailed interviews including three modified narrative identity protocols, one elicited response interview, and one observation interview. Phenomenology formed the epistemological lens and the method that utilized various instruments as a pathway into the teachers’ perceived life worlds. Research was conducted from a transcendental or psychological approach to phenomenology with a grounded theory approach to analyzing the data to generate theoretical themes rooted in the narratives. A detailed description of each case narrative along with the phenomenological essence of each teacher is provided individually before cross case analysis is presented. From this combined case data, a constructed model that captures the narratives, trends, and overlaps was created. Evans’ orientation model was utilized as exemplary of the field for comparison. There existed overlaps present with the utilized model yet current models explored failed to encompass all elements of teacher-held orientations and an emergent model is presented that includes the following orientation constructs: social efficiency, a social sciences core, a transformative role, and personal improvement. The findings also included four themes: the role of storytelling as a central concept in practice, the role of film and television representations of history in sustaining engagement, the value of the classroom environment and students in creating a sense of equity, and a close level of uniformity in orientation reporting out of step with current frameworks. Implications for learning environments, particularly in relation to the utilization of technology, are discussed in addition to necessary future research suggestions.

Previous research by Rushing et al. (2002) identified key factors contributing to the formation of pinhole leaks in copper plumbing. These factors included high chlorine, pH levels and the presence of aluminum solids. Experiments were conducted to 1) examine the interplay between these constituents, 2) confirm that the water was aggressive enough to eat a hole through a pipe, 3) examine phosphate inhibition, and 4) try to determine the scope of this pitting problem in other distribution systems and on a national level. The first set of experiments clearly defined the controversial trends from earlier work. At certain pH values, the presence of chlorine and aluminum solids does seem to initiate pitting corrosion of copper. Although the problem is most severe at higher pH, it is likely that long-term exposure at lower values such as pH 8 could lead to pitting. There is a concentration effect of aluminum solids at pH 9.0, in that higher concentrations cause an earlier rise in the potential for copper to corrode if sufficient chlorine is present. The second phase of experiments are the first to prove that a potable water containing aluminum, high chlorine residual, and relatively high pH can cause pinholes in copper tube. To our knowledge this is the first time the phenomenon of pinhole leaks has been reproduced in the laboratory as it occurs in the field. It therefore proves that "aggressive water" alone can cause the problem of pitting. The role of flow, pipe orientation and hypothesized surface defects was directly examined as part of this evaluation. Pitting increased with greater water usage and for sections of straight pipe exposed to hydraulic conditions near bends. Copper pipe sections polished to a mirror like finish to remove surface defects were also severely attacked. The role of phosphate in mitigation of copper pitting corrosion was defined in a subsequent experiment using synthesized water. Phosphates did not have an effect at pH 7.7 and were found to reduce electrochemical indications of pitting in the synthetic water at the pH of 8.3. Phosphates had lesser benefits at higher pH even in synthetic water, but overall, even at pHs as high as 10, some benefits from orthophosphate dosing might be anticipated. Effects of orthophosphate on the inhibition of copper pitting corrosion were then applied to treated water from a utility in Washington D.C., whose consumers have experienced an outbreak of pinhole leaks in household copper plumbing. After comparing electrochemical results from synthetic and actual water from the treatment plant, there was evidence of a natural inhibitor to pitting corrosion in WSSC water that is not present in the synthetic water. The higher chloride concentration in the water after ferric chloride was dosed at the treatment plant may have reduced the pitting propensity of the water. The effects of phosphates seemed to reduce the pitting propensity of real water at pH 8.3 although little benefit was seen at pH 9.1. These defined characteristics of copper pitting were then applied in a systematic evaluation of a water utility experiencing pitting corrosion in Roanoke, VA. This case study further supported the hypothesis that high levels of aluminum, chlorine, and pH may be combining to catalyze copper pitting in practice. Recommendations to alter the treatment strategies at these utilities were proposed to help mitigate the pitting corrosion problems in these areas. A national survey then confirmed pitting is occurring at a significant frequency at other large utilities across the U.S. / Master of Science

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第19320号 / 農博第2141号 / 新制||農||1036(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H28||N4948(農学部図書室) / 32322 / 京都大学大学院農学研究科森林科学専攻 / (主査)教授 西尾 嘉之, 教授 木村 恒久, 教授 髙野 俊幸 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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