This research introduces the concept of transferability into the usability construct and creates the Usability Paradigm for Multiple Device System (UPMDS) to conceptualize and quantify the usability in multiple device scenarios. This study fills the literature gap that no effective method exists in measuring transferability and in quantifying usability in a multiple device context. This study also answers the research questions regarding the impact of task complexity, user experience, and device order on the total usability of the system. Study one follows a systematic approach to develop, validate, and apply a new questionnaire tailored specifically to measure the transferability within a multiple device system. The System Transferability Questionnaire (STQ) is obtained after validation with 15 question items. In a software usability study, the STQ demonstrated excellent internal reliability and validity. Results show that the STQ is effective in capturing four factors regarding transferability, which are transfer experience (TE), overall experience (OE), consistency perception (CP) and functionality perception (FP). Validation results show good convergent, discriminant, criterion and nomonlogical validity. Study two adopts a systematic tool to consolidate usability constructs into a total usability score. The study utilizes principal component analysis (PCA) to determine the weight of the four usability components (satisfaction, transferability, effectiveness, and efficiency), which is used when obtaining the total usability score. Results show slightly different weights for the four components. This quantitative tool can be applied in different usability context in which multiple devices are involved. Usability specialists are encouraged to adjust the tool based on different usability scenarios. Study three investigates the impact of task complexity, user experience, and device order on the total system usability. Results show that the total usability score is not affected by task complexity, user experience or device order. However, lower physical task complexity leads to longer performance time and lower errors from the users. High experienced users have significantly lower errors made in tasks. The machine order also has divergent results. When the mini-lathe machine was used first, users had better transferability results but poorer performance outcomes as compared to when the drill press was used first.

Over the last 20 years, there has occurred an increase in the number, scope, and impact of nanomaterials projects. By leveraging the Surface Plasmon Resonance of metallic nanoparticles for labelling, sensing, and treatment, researchers have demonstrated the versatile utility of these nanomaterials in medicine. The literature provides evidence of use of simple, well-known chemistry for nanomaterials synthesis when the focus is new applications of nanomaterials. A case in point, is the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles, whereby HAuCl4, CuCl2, Cu(acac)2, and AgNO3 are typically employed as nanoparticle precursors. Unfortunately, the use of these precursors limits the number of applications available to these materials - particularly for AuNPs in medicine, where the byproducts of nanoparticle synthesis (most often surface-adsorbed reductants, toxic stabilizers, and growth directors) cause nanoparticles to fail clinical trials. Despite the several thousand publications detailing the advancements in nanoparticle therapeutics, as of 2017, there were only 50 FDA-approved nanoparticle formulations. Less than 10 were based on metallic nanoparticles. This is a problem because many of these nanoparticle therapeutics demonstrate potent cell killing ability and labeling of cells. A solution to this problem may be the use of weakly coordinated, monovalent metal complexes, which require only one electron to reduce them to their metallic state. Further, by designing nanoparticle syntheses around these monovalent complexes, we can employ weaker, environmentally friendly stabilizers. This strategy also forgoes the use of exogenous reducing agents, because the monovalent complexes can be reduced and stabilized by one reagent. Herein we investigate the use of Au(Me2S)Cl, [Cu(MeCN)4]BF4, and AgBF4 with green stabilizers to synthesize a variety of nanomaterials. We find that a range of sizes of spherical particles, as well as a range of sizes of gold triangular prisms can be synthesized by using techniques that follow this strategy.

This study provides an empirical analysis of the primary assumptions of a newly implemented teacher evaluation system, namely that the specific teaching practices evaluated are related to student achievement, and that teacher-directed professional growth plans effectively shape teacher practices in a particular domain. Results of the study are intended to inform the interpretation and the refinement of the Volusia System for Empowering Teachers (VSET), which aims to build capacity in the Volusia teacher work force and ultimately to improve student performance (School Board of Volusia County Team Volusia, Race to the Top application, 2011). This study focused on 14 pilot schools within one school district that implemented VSET as a new teacher evaluation system. The data used in this study were drawn from a multi-metric teacher assessment used in VSET and measures of student achievement. The VSET evaluation model consists of three metrics that are assigned according to the specific categories of a teacher. Two of the metrics, the professional growth plan rating and the educator observation rating are based on Charlotte Danielson’s “Framework for Teaching” (Danielson, 2007). The third metric, the valued added score is a measure of the teacher’s impact on student learning. The current study focused on determining if there was a correlation between teaching practice and student achievement and to what extent teaching practice was impacted by teacher self-selection of components for professional growth in the teacher evaluation model. The findings suggest that there is not a statistically significant and reliable relationship between the value added score and teacher practices across components, as assessed by VSET evaluators. Follow up analyses did, however, show that higher evaluator observation scores are associated with improved school iv grades, suggesting a relationship between teacher impact on student performance. The results support the assumption that the successful completion of the VSET professional development growth plan is associated with teacher’s instructional practices in the identified component.

No / The design of a network architecture that can efficiently integrate WLAN and cellular networks is a challenging task, particularly when the objective is to make the interoperation between the two networks as seamless and as efficient as possible. To provide end-to-end quality of service (QoS) support is one of the key stages towards such a goal. Due to various constraints, such as the unbalanced capacity of the two systems, handoff from user mobility and unreliable transmission media, end-to-end QoS is difficult to guarantee. In this paper, we propose a generic reservation-based QoS model for the integrated cellular and WLAN networks. It uses an adaptation mechanism to address the above issues and to support end-to-end QoS. The validity of the proposed scheme is demonstrated via simulation experiments. The performance results reveal that this new scheme can considerably improve the system resource utilization and reduce the call blocking probability and handoff dropping probability of the integrated networks while maintaining acceptable QoS to the end users.

Diese Arbeit gliedert sich in das Gebiet der manipulativen Modelle im Kontext der Mathematik ein. Derartige Modelle schaffen Lernvorteile durch die Vergegenständlichung abstrakter Sachverhalte und beinhalten mitunter zusätzliche Prozesse zur Unterstützung der Lösung mathematischer Problemstellungen. Aufbauend auf den bisher existierenden Modellen, wurde ein neues manipulatives Modell zur Manipulation und Lösung mathematischer Gleichungen entwickelt und evaluiert. Ein Forschungsziel bestand darin, dass das Modell durch eine höhere Modellmächtigkeit als seine Vorgängermodelle und eine intuitive Gestensteuerung den analogen Gleichungslösungsprozess weitestgehend nachbilden kann. Des Weiteren sollte das Modell in beliebige Webumgebungen integrierbar sein und umfangreiche Konfigurationsmöglichkeiten bieten. Zudem wurde angestrebt, dass Probleminstanzen innerhalb des Modells schneller und mit einer geringeren Fehleranfälligkeit als beim analogen Vorgehen gelöst werden können. Die Forschungsziele konnten durch die Entwicklung des Modells als JavaScript-Framework in Verbindung mit dem Einsatz praktikabler Programmbibliotheken und der Implementierung prozessunterstützender Algorithmen erreicht werden. Weiterentwicklungen des Modells, beispielsweise Vorteile für wenig erfahrene und fortgeschrittene Lernende betreffend, sind denkbar. Darüber hinaus sollten sich zukünftige Forschungen auf die kontinuierliche Verbesserung der Modellmächtigkeit und Gestensteuerung derartiger Modelle konzentrieren, um die Vorzüge der Digitalisierung des Gleichungslösungsprozesses nutzen zu können.:1 Einleitung 1.1 Motivation und Problemstellung 1.2 Methodik und Zielstellung 1.3 Aufbau der Arbeit 2 Grundbegriffe 2.1 Manipulatoren und manipulative Modelle 2.2 Gamification 2.3 Framework 3 Manipulative Modelle in der Mathematik 3.1 Hintergrund 3.2 Prinzipien und Vorgehensweisen zur Modellerstellung 3.3 Existierende Modelle 3.3.1 Bewertungsmatrix 3.3.2 Algebra-Kachel-Modell 3.3.3 EquationGuide 3.3.4 Maphi 3.4 Auswertung 4 Entwicklung und Evaluierung eines manipulativen Modells zur Gleichungsmanipulation 4.1 Zieldefinition 4.2 Anforderungsanalyse 4.2.1 Webbasiertes Framework 4.2.2 Gleichungsmanipulation und -lösung mittels Gestensteuerung 4.2.3 Generierung von Umformungsschritten 4.2.4 Lernstufen durch Modi 4.2.5 Modellmächtigkeit 4.2.6 Preview 4.2.7 Gleichungsvalidierung 4.2.8 Lösungsindikation 4.2.9 Protokollierung 4.3 Entwurf 4.3.1 Entwicklersicht 4.3.2 Benutzersicht 4.4 Implementierung 4.4.1 Webbasiertes Framework 4.4.2 Gleichungsmanipulation und -lösung mittels Gestensteuerung 4.4.3 Tokenisierung mathematischer Ausdrücke 4.4.4 Generierung von Umformungsschritten 4.4.5 Unterstützender und freier Modus 4.4.6 Simplifizierung 4.4.7 Darstellung von Brüchen 4.4.8 Preview 4.4.9 Gleichungsvalidierung 4.4.10 Lösungsindikation 4.4.11 Protokollierung 4.5 Evaluierung 4.5.1 Integration in eine Webapplikation 4.5.2 Integration in ein Jupyter Notebook 4.5.3 Einordnung 5 Fazit und Ausblick

Older adults living with frailty have increased healthcare needs, but require accurate identification for optimal care; nurses’ screening practice is unclear. This cross-sectional survey explored nurses’ frailty screening practices and barriers/facilitators in acute care. Descriptive statistics were generated from 5-point frequency and 101-point scales of frailty screening methods; practice areas were compared using linear regression. Means for barriers and facilitators were generated from a 43-item 6-point Likert-type Theoretical Domains Framework questionnaire. Respondents (n = 228) reported “usually” screening by clinical impression (median = 4, interquartile range = 4-5) and preferring it to formal frailty tools (M = 67.1, SD = 25.7). Practice area influenced general frailty screening (B = 0.81, r = .31, p < .001). The top barrier was belief conducting frailty screening was routine (M = 2.68, SD = 1.42, p > .05). Frailty screening tools supporting clinical judgement and embedded into routine have greater likelihood for uptake.

This dissertation uses storytelling to examine the nature of settler colonial relations (SCRs) in Canada. It examines testimonies about land use in settler Canada from the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP). Utilizing a combined Tribal Critical Race Theory (TCRT) and Critical Race Theory (CRT), this study compares testimonies about land use from the perspective of Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous peoples and asks the question what, if anything, does this comparison tell us about settler Canada? The comparison reveals how settler Canada depends on the liberal racialization of Indigenous peoples’ national identity. To undertake this comparison I narrated the RCAP testimonies into small stories and analyzed their morals, or the point of these stories, using dialogical narrative analysis. The narrated stories laid bare a stark contrast in the way Indigenous peoples spoke of their social relations with the land and the way non-indigenous Canadians spoke of theirs. This study demonstrates how the narrated testimonies from Canadians, or what are referred to as cultural narratives in the language of CRT, are about land use that racialized the national identity of Indigenous peoples through the discourse of the liberal order, whereas the narrated testimonies from Indigenous peoples, considered as counter stories in this study, contradict the cultural narratives and reveal a national identity rooted in language, spirituality, the Creator, and the consequences for Indigenous peoples from settler colonial relations. The narrated counter stories in this study not only contradict the cultural narratives from settlers by describing the consequences of settler colonial relations but they also provide a blueprint in a narrative sense to decolonize land use in contemporary settler Canada. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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