This thesis describes the study of a variety of nanoscale materials and the development of novel synthetic strategies for their production. While the focus and bulk of this study have been directed specifically at subwavelength lithography, a significant portion of this thesis research involves nanoparticle synthesis, characterization, and functionalization. Put in very simple terms, optical lithography is a process where a beam of light, focused in a specific pattern, is used to generate a physical pattern on a solid substrate. This technology forms the basis for almost all microchip production in the world at the present time. As demand for faster and more powerful chips increases, the need to further miniaturize the patterns while minimizing cost has become very important. Multiple photochemical systems were developed in the search for non-reciprocal photochemistry at 193 nm to increase the resolution of lithographic processes at that wavelength. One approach, based on anthracene sensitization of sulfonium salts for acid generation, used photochemically reversible 4+4 aromatic cycloaddition reactions to introduce the non-linear photochemistry. A second approach took advantage of the photochemistry of N-methylphenothiazine and provided the first true example of a lithographically-relevant multi-photon acid generating process. Since all of the systems we studied used sulfonium salts as the acid generating species, we also looked at the photochemistry of the salts themselves. We evaluated the structural effects of the salts on their direct photochemistry and the implications for sensitized multi-photon photochemistry. We found that the identity of the anion plays a significant role in both processes and propose a new photochemical mechanism for acid generation that involves a charge transfer excitation process. We also describe the synthesis and characterization of novel fluorescent silver nanoparticles, both in solution and polymer films. We show that the fluorescent images can be patterned easily and preliminary results show that photolithography based on nanoparticle formation may be possible. This latter approach could provide a facile route to nanoparticle-embedded functional materials. This work with nanoparticles was inspired partly by earlier work, also presented herein, on semiconductor nanoparticles and their interactions with disulfide ligands.

There is increasing recognition of the emotional dimensions of the cancer experience, and in Australia a number of resources have been developed to enhance health professionals’ ability to provide psychosocial support for patients. Unfortunately patients with advanced cancer are not well-served in terms of resources, most of which focus on early disease and survival. Children of parents with advanced cancer face a considerable burden, but parents may avoid discussion with their children, partly because they wish to protect them from distress, partly because of lack of support and limited access to information to guide them in this challenging task. There are limited numbers of health professionals with the psychosocial knowledge and skills to assist parents, and they are largely confined to metropolitan centres, making timely and equitable access to appropriate information and support for parents a major problem. Improving access to information and support could be achieved through extension of existing educational and supportive roles of a variety of health professionals. However health professionals may avoid discussion about emotionally-challenging issues because of perceived lack of training, and low professional confidence. Avoidance is also known to be a common defence mechanism for health professionals who find that the burden of caring arouses painful and sad feelings. Professional education has traditionally not encouraged reflection on the emotional dimensions of work, or assisted in the development of coping strategies. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention to enhance the capacity of health professionals to provide timely, evidence-based information and support for parents with advanced cancer, to guide them in talking with their children. Selection of oncology nurses for this purpose was based on their accessibility across treatment settings, their existing skills in education and support, and the fact that patients find supportive care provided by nurses highly acceptable. The study employed mixed methods across several phases to achieve this aim. In the first instance, relevant literature was used as a framework for developing an educational intervention. Qualitative methods were used to refine the educational intervention: - focus groups with oncology nurses examined perceptions of their supportive care roles including barriers and educational needs, and critical feedback was sought from a group of nurse experts regarding the scope and style of the intervention. This data informed the development of the final intervention which comprised a self-directed educational manual and day-long interactive communication skills training workshop, supplemented with a brochure for parents with advanced cancer. The brochure was developed in response to nurses’ expressed need for written resources to support them in their interactions with parents with advanced cancer. The brochure was based on relevant literature and refined using information gathered through in-depth interviews with parents with advanced cancer. A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention using pre and post-measures. Thirty-five oncology nurses were recruited from three oncology centres in Brisbane, three withdrawing prior to completion of the educational intervention. Nurses’ stress, burnout and psychological morbidity were assessed by structured measures; attitudes and confidence were assessed by study-developed questionnaires. Knowledge was assessed by examination of nurses’ responses to two clinical vignettes describing a parent requesting help from the nurse about how to respond to their child. Changes in communication skills were evaluated by video-taped interviews with simulated cancer patients trained to deliver a number of scripted cues. Following participation in the educational intervention there were significant improvements in nurses’ self-reported confidence in ability to provide information and support for parents with advanced cancer, and initiate discussion with parents about emotionally-challenging topics. After the intervention nurses were significantly more likely to take an active role in self-care strategies. There were significant improvements in generic communication techniques and communication skills specific to this study: emphasising to a parent the importance of open communication with their children; confidence in responding to an overtly distressed patient, and openly discussing poor prognosis. Analysis of responses to the vignettes revealed significant post-training reduction in focus on practical issues, reduced referral of the parent to other health professionals, and significant increases in empathic engagement and supportive advice likely to assist the parent to respond to their child. There were no changes in stress and burnout or psychological morbidity. The response rate for an acceptability survey was low, but respondents enthusiastically endorsed the educational intervention, describing changes in clinical practice: improved listening; increased engagement with patients about emotional concerns, and reduced avoidance of potentially-distressing discussion. Study participants were a self-selected group which may not be representative of all oncology nurses, meaning that the results of this study many not be generalisable. Hence the next step is a randomised controlled trial, in which the evaluation is expanded to include an examination of parental satisfaction with a brief supportive intervention delivered by a trained nurse, using structured measures of family adjustment.

The aim of this study has been to investigate the potential of the graphical calculator for mediating students' learning of functions in mathematics at GCE Advanced level. In carrying out this investigation, the study has been primarily concerned with three inter-related themes: How does the way in which individual students behave affect the shared construction of meaning in a graphical calculator environment? How does the visual imagery provided by the graphical calculator mediate students' understanding of functions? What are the implications for the role of the teacher in graphical calculator environments? In order to address these issues, the study has involved the development of materials and approaches that were subsequently trialled with Lower Sixth form students in a school and a college in the Local Education Authority of Sheffield. An ethnographic approach towards data collection and analysis was adopted, which entailed carrying out detailed studies of singularities in three key phases. The first phase consisted of the exploratory study and considered the learning experiences of novice graphical calculator users. The second phase involved experienced graphical calculator users and was concerned with identifying how knowledge construction might differ as a result of the longer-standing status of the graphical calculator as a tool for supporting mathematics learning. The third and final phase concentrated on the introduction of key function concepts to beginning Advanced level mathematics students and focused on the personal and social factors involved. The findings of this study have served to illustrate both the complexity and interdependence of the individual, social and affective factors involved in students' acquisition of meaning with the graphical calculator. Evidence from the research suggests that the social context has direct bearing on the functioning of the graphical calculator as a cognitive reorganiser. The graphical calculator was found to mediate the development of the visual capabilities of individual students via more intensive interaction between the students themselves and with the teacher. In this respect, the pairing of visualisers and non-visualisers amongst the students was found to be especially conducive to successful collaborative learning with the technology. In this study the graphical calculator acted as both a medium for communication and also as a new authority in the classroom, which empowered students to act as autonomous and independent learners. The potential of the technology for inspiring confidence, even in instances where it is not the main source of answers was also highlighted. An important part of successfully introducing new function concepts to students was found to lie in the creation of local communities of practice in the classroom, where the graphical calculator was seen as a means of drawing students into these practices. In this way, some of the more reluctant participants were encouraged to act as peer tutors. The importance of the role of the teacher in scaffolding the students' learning was also continually emphasised throughout, especially in relation to the interpretation of unexpected results and instances of dependency on the technology, which were linked to individual work. In illuminating all of these factors, the study has demonstrated the strength and relevance of a Vygotskian socio-cultural perspective for exploring students' learning with graphical calculators.

The past 30 years have seen rapid expansion in nursing roles, and the provision of education that supports them. However, the nature of the knowledge that characterises advanced practice, and the pedagogical strategies that are utilised in catalysing its development have yet to be extensively evaluated. Whilst a number of frameworks which purport to conceptualise this knowledge do exist, such structures remain somewhat provisional. Likewise, the pedagogical approaches employed in the development of knowledge for advanced practice are derived as much from teacher preference, organisational expedience, and external policy drivers as educational efficacy. The study presented within this thesis addresses these challenges by examining the knowledge conceptualisation process in relation to two student cohorts undertaking ‘Advanced Practice’ study at Masters level within the author’s employing university. A programme utilising a conventional pedagogical approach has been contrasted with one employing a more collaborative modality; this facilitates an evaluation of the impact of the respective learning and teaching approaches upon the dynamic creation and modification of the practitioners’ knowledge base. A Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology was selected in order to explore these processes. A purposive sample of 24 participants was recruited from across both programmes; a series of interviews was undertaken, and data analysis resulted in both the induction of a substantive theory of Developing A Personal Knowing, and the identification of a range of pedagogical strategies that catalyse its growth. The findings are of particular utility for those involved in the development of advanced practice curricula, and have been used illustratively to underpin a nascent curriculum framework presented in the latter part of the thesis. A number of significant findings emerge; a need to maintain the primacy of clinical practice, the importance of a collaborative approach to learning and teaching in which individual learner agency is maintained, and the key role of group reflection in assimilating the plurality of knowledge forms that ultimately constitute an individual’s personal theory of practice.

The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique has become popular in groundwater studies because it responds directly to the presence and mobility of water in a porous medium. There is a need to conduct laboratory experiments to aid in the development of NMR hydraulic conductivity models, as is typically done in the petroleum industry. However, the challenge has been obtaining high-quality laboratory samples from unconsolidated aquifers. At a study site in Denmark, we employed sonic drilling, which minimizes the disturbance of the surrounding material, and extracted twelve 7.6 cm diameter samples for laboratory measurements. We present a detailed comparison of the acquired laboratory and logging NMR data. The agreement observed between the laboratory and logging data suggests that the methodologies proposed in this study provide good conditions for studying NMR measurements of unconsolidated near-surface aquifers. Finally, we show how laboratory sample size and condition impact the NMR measurements.

Advanced Placement is a series of courses and tests designed to determine mastery over introductory college material. It has become part of the American educational system. The changing conception of AP was examined using critical theory to determine what led to a view of continual success. The study utilized David Armstrong’s variation of Michel Foucault’s critical theory to construct an analytical framework. Black and Ubbes’ data gathering techniques and Braun and Clark’s data analysis were utilized as the analytical framework. Data included 1135 documents: 641 journal articles, 421 newspaper articles and 82 government documents. The study revealed three historical ruptures correlated to three themes containing subthemes. The first rupture was the Sputnik launch in 1958. Its correlated theme was AP leading to school reform with subthemes of AP as reform for able students and AP’s gaining of acceptance from secondary schools and higher education. The second rupture was the Nation at Risk report published in 1983. Its correlated theme was AP’s shift in emphasis from the exam to the course with the subthemes of AP as a course, a shift in AP’s target population, using AP courses to promote equity, and AP courses modifying curricula. The passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was the third rupture. Its correlated theme was AP as a means to narrow the achievement gap with the subthemes of AP as a college preparatory program and the shifting of AP to an open access program. The themes revealed a perception that progressively integrated the program into American education. The AP program changed emphasis from tests to curriculum, and is seen as the nation’s premier academic program to promote reform and prepare students for college. It has become a major source of income for the College Board. In effect, AP has become an agent of privatization, spurring other private entities into competition for government funding. The change and growth of the program over the past 57 years resulted in a deep integration into American education. As such the program remains an intrinsic part of the system and continues to evolve within American education.

This thesis describes the study of a variety of nanoscale materials and the development of novel synthetic strategies for their production. While the focus and bulk of this study have been directed specifically at subwavelength lithography, a significant portion of this thesis research involves nanoparticle synthesis, characterization, and functionalization. Put in very simple terms, optical lithography is a process where a beam of light, focused in a specific pattern, is used to generate a physical pattern on a solid substrate. This technology forms the basis for almost all microchip production in the world at the present time. As demand for faster and more powerful chips increases, the need to further miniaturize the patterns while minimizing cost has become very important. Multiple photochemical systems were developed in the search for non-reciprocal photochemistry at 193 nm to increase the resolution of lithographic processes at that wavelength. One approach, based on anthracene sensitization of sulfonium salts for acid generation, used photochemically reversible 4+4 aromatic cycloaddition reactions to introduce the non-linear photochemistry. A second approach took advantage of the photochemistry of N-methylphenothiazine and provided the first true example of a lithographically-relevant multi-photon acid generating process. Since all of the systems we studied used sulfonium salts as the acid generating species, we also looked at the photochemistry of the salts themselves. We evaluated the structural effects of the salts on their direct photochemistry and the implications for sensitized multi-photon photochemistry. We found that the identity of the anion plays a significant role in both processes and propose a new photochemical mechanism for acid generation that involves a charge transfer excitation process. We also describe the synthesis and characterization of novel fluorescent silver nanoparticles, both in solution and polymer films. We show that the fluorescent images can be patterned easily and preliminary results show that photolithography based on nanoparticle formation may be possible. This latter approach could provide a facile route to nanoparticle-embedded functional materials. This work with nanoparticles was inspired partly by earlier work, also presented herein, on semiconductor nanoparticles and their interactions with disulfide ligands.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have demonstrated efficacy in reducing symptoms in survivors of early-stage cancer and have shown promise in adults with advanced cancer and their family caregivers. These interventions may be especially helpful for coping with advanced cancer because acceptance and a greater focus on present-moment experiences are central to the adjustment process. Mindfulness may be a potential mechanism underlying MBI’s health effects, yet suboptimal assessment of mindfulness hinders examination of this hypothesis. Widely used self-report measures of mindfulness require participants to have high self-awareness and comprehend a complex skill and show limited responsiveness to MBIs. Behavioral assessment of mindfulness may address the limitations of self-report measures. The goal of the current study was to obtain preliminary evidence of the validity of a behavioral measure of mindfulness, Levinson and colleagues’ breath counting task, and its responsiveness to MBI among patients and caregivers coping with advanced cancer. Fifty-five patient-caregiver dyads were recruited from a university hospital and community clinics in Indiana. Dyads were randomized to either a 6-week MBI or a usual care control condition. Measures were administered at baseline prior to intervention (week 0), at the end of the 6-week intervention period (week 6), and 1-month post-intervention (week 10). Measures included the breath counting task, self-reported mindfulness, avoidant coping, and distress. Linear mixed modeling was used to determine whether the MEANING intervention led to increased behavioral and self-reported mindfulness compared to the usual care group. Caregivers in the MEANING condition showed improved behavioral mindfulness relative to caregivers in usual care, whereas patients in both the MEANING and usual care conditions showed relatively stable behavioral mindfulness over time. Additionally, there was no evidence that the MEANING intervention impacted behavioral mindfulness to a greater extent than self-reported mindfulness. To further examine the behavioral mindfulness measure’s validity, its relations with self-reported mindfulness, avoidant coping, and distress were examined at all time points. For both patients and caregivers, correlations between behavioral and self-reported mindfulness were small or nearly zero and were not uniformly positive. In the MEANING condition, correlations showed mostly small changes over time, and in the control condition, correlations generally showed little change over time. In addition, for patients and caregivers, most correlations between behavioral mindfulness and distress and avoidant coping were approaching zero or small. Results support the feasibility of the breath counting task in adults with advanced cancer and their caregivers, but provide limited support for its validity. The task warrants further evaluation in populations coping with chronic illness.

No description available.

This quantitative study examined the impact that Advanced Placement (AP) coursework had on students attending college with specific emphasis on those who failed the exam. The study comprised four years of entering freshmen students between the academic years 2006-2009. The study was comprehensive in that it revealed all AP attempts regardless of score and student's desire to submit results to Temple University and the universities' acceptance of the same for college credit. For consistency, college success was determined based on data in the first two academic years of study. Students' grade point average (GPA) and retention were analyzed as the two primary assessments defining college access. The sample consisted of 16,731 students over four years of entering first-time freshmen to Temple University. The results indicated that AP score had a significant effect on both GPA and retention, although the effects for GPA were much stronger than for retention. Essentially, the results showed that the GPA of students decreases linearly from those who obtained an average AP score of "5", through "4", "3" and "2". Students whose average AP score was "1", however, performed at a lower level than students who had taken no AP course at all. Moreover, when various pre-college factors (specifically, SAT scores, high school GPA, mothers' and fathers' educational level and family income) were used as covariates, the effect for AP performance was markedly reduced. As such, it became evident that the real issue in evaluating the impact of AP performance is not whether students who take and pass AP courses do better in college. The real issue is whether AP performance provides an advantage over and above the advantages that students already possess. This study also revealed a threshold at which AP exposure correlated to college success when studying the AP failures with a score of `1'. The study findings contribute to emerging literature examining the relationship that AP failures have on students and colleges. / Educational Administration