No description available.

No description available.

Troponin elevations are frequent during critical illness and associated with higher short-term mortality. Whether troponin elevations in that population independently confer a worse prognosis remains a matter of debate and how to manage patients with troponin elevations in the intensive care unit is unknown. Myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery is a well-defined entity, but can the same criteria be applied in patients who transition in the intensive care unit? Most patients present a troponin elevation early after coronary artery bypass surgery. How should a myocardial infarction be defined in these patients? This thesis comprises 7 chapters that inform these knowledge gaps. Chapter 1 is an introduction providing the rationale for conducting each of the included studies. Chapter 2 reports on the PROTROPIC pilot study evaluating the feasibility of a larger study to assess whether troponin elevations in critical illness independently predict mortality. Chapter 3 presents the use of secondary cardiovascular prevention medications and cardiac risk stratification in the PROTROPIC pilot study participants. Chapter 4 is a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of statins in critically ill patients. Chapter 5 describes patients admitted to the intensive care unit after noncardiac surgery in the VISION cohort. This substudy also evaluates whether admission to the intensive care unit modifies the prognosis associated with myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery. Chapter 6 evaluates the prevalence and prognosis associated with different definitions of myocardial infarction after coronary artery bypass grafting using data from the CORONARY trial. Finally, Chapter 7 discusses the conclusion, limitation, and implications of the research presented in this PhD thesis. / Thesis / Doctor of Science (PhD)

This qualitative study examines the experiences of patients who have undergone renal transplant surgery. Interviews were conducted with six patient informants who received renal transplants one to six months prior to the study. Participants’ narratives offered insight into: the variability of transplant preparation, hopes, experiences, and perspectives of recovery, meanings of recovery, significance of social and economic supports in recovery, and the role of professional staff in providing support and resources during the transplant journey. Their stories are explored in relation to literature on psychosocial aspects of renal transplant and through a critical disability studies lens. The nuances of the social work role in relation to patients’ pre- and post-operative renal transplant journey was explored in depth. Based on the findings and relevant literature, recommendations and suggestions are made on how to expand the social work role in the pre- and post-transplant clinic at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Thesis advisor: Michael Russell / Intersectionality theory garners increased attention from researchers interested in understanding the many ways in which oppression impacts lived experiences. In any given present and evolving context, oppression leads to advantages for some social positions and disadvantages for others (Collins & Bilge, 2016; Crenshaw, 1989). Quantitative researchers have attempted to adapt statistical modeling methods to reflect intersectional identities as a proxy for oppression and advantage in their models (Bauer et al., 2021; Schudde, 2018). This dissertation expanded on existing knowledge about the statistical limitations of three methods of modeling intersectional analyses on a continuous outcome variable: 1) Interaction, 2) Categorical, and 3) MAIDHA (multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and individual accuracy). Using a Monte Carlo simulation, four demographic data characteristics were manipulated to explore the three models under different scenarios which manipulated: a) the number of demographic categories (and thus intersections); b) the proportion of the sample represented by each demographic group; c) the within-intersectional-group variance in the outcome variable of interest; d) overall sample size. Each scenario and model were replicated 1000 times; results summarized performance of the intersection estimates and effect detection using the outcomes: bias, accuracy, power, type 1 error, and confidence interval coverage. The fundamental questions that guided this dissertation were: 1. What are the statistical advantages and disadvantages of each model under different demographic data characteristics? 2. In what ways does each model perform differently from one another under each demographic data characteristic condition? The findings of this dissertation contribute to intersectional quantitative research methods by providing greater insight into how each model performs under more complex data scenarios. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics & Assessment.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University

This qualitative case study sought to gain a deeper understanding of the obstacles that students from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia face when learning English in a writing course that implements critical thinking and writing process pedagogy. The study took place over five months at the Virginia Tech Language and Culture Institute in spring 2012. While ten participants--six female and four male Saudi Arabian ESL students--participated in this study, these findings focus primarily on one male and one female student. The aim of this focus was to give a rich and in-depth description of the two students. Two main queries guided this study: 1) How do sex differences affect Saudi students' perception of their teachers' and peers' authority? 2) How do those perceptions affect their development as writers and critical thinkers when learning in an intensive writing course at the high intermediate level? The researcher documented data through three sources: classroom observation, interviews with ESL students and teachers, and student writing samples. / Ph. D.

No

Thesis advisor: Ana M. Martínez Alemán / The term “diversity” was popularized in Justice Powell’s opinion in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, which identified the benefits of a diverse student body as a compelling state interest. Forty years after Bakke, deep inequities remain in higher education and racist events occur with regularity on college campuses (“Campus Racial Incidents : The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education,” n.d.). Institutions continue to struggle to address student concerns and a significant gap remains between students and administrators on the topic of diversity and inclusion. Because the public website is the face of the university to the world and the most powerful platform for conveying institutional values, goals, and priorities, representations of diversity on university webpages are potent statements about how institutions address these topics (Snider & Martin, 2012). Jesuit universities in particular have a 500-year tradition in education that is founded on a deep respect for cultural difference, making them an excellent choice for a study on diversity (O’Malley, 2014). This exploratory qualitative study utilizes Critical Discourse Analysis to examine how diversity is characterized on Jesuit higher education websites. The 28 Jesuit higher education institutions in the United States were analyzed during two time periods using a framework combining elements of Fairclough (2003) and McGregor (2014). The data were interpreted through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT), which posits that racism continues to be endemic and omnipresent in the United States. CRT scholarship on microaggressions, whiteness, and colorblindness is a foundational element of this analysis Based on this analysis, institutions were placed in an adapted model of diversity development based on Williams (2013). While respecting cultural difference and care for the marginalized is at the core of the Jesuit mission, translating this to an inclusive diversity web presence has presented challenges for institutions. In this study, just 3 of the 28 Jesuit higher education institutions attained the most advanced stage—Inclusive Excellence. Few Jesuit institutions placed diversity at the core of the mission or maintained cohesive and powerful diversity messaging across the website. This study found instances where imagery, prose, and information architecture issues reinforced hegemonic norms and objectified individuals. This analysis concludes with diversity website content recommendations for administrators, communications professionals, and faculty who seek to be inclusive rather than alienate, deconstruct hegemonic norms rather than reinforce them, and balance marketing goals with campus authenticity. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

本論文旨在探討有關提升批判性思考的學習效能。本文主要分為兩大部分：第一部分為批判性思考的技巧及態度建立量表，並以此量表分析香港中五學生在批判性思考的技巧及態度，及其兩者在學業成績組別和性別之間的關係。第二部分為探討交錯練習（interleaved practice）和同組練習（blocked practice）對提升批判性思考技巧的效應。從第一部分的結果分析顯示，男生在批判性思考的態度上優於女生；第一學業成績組別的學生在批判性思考技巧上優於第二及第三學業成績組別的學生。從第二部分的結果分析發現，無論使用交錯練習抑或同組練習，均能顯著提升批判性思考的整體技巧，而在批判性思考技巧中的解釋部分，同組練習的結果又較交錯練習為佳。整體而言，交錯練習及同組練習兩種學習模式皆能有效提升批判性思考技巧的能力，而兩者的效果相約，並無顯著的差別。 / This thesis aims to explore the learning effectiveness on promoting critical thinking competence. The first part of the thesis shows the establishment of the measuring tools of both critical thinking dispositions and critical thinking skills. The use of the tools, dispositions, skills, gender and banding of Form Five students in Hong Kong were then collected and analyzed. The second part of the thesis is to explore and compare the effectiveness between interleaved practice and blocked practice on critical thinking skills. From the results of the first part, boys scored better than girls on critical thinking dispositions; while Band One students scored better than Band Two and Band Three students on critical thinking skills. From the results of the second part, both interleaved practice and blocked practice enhanced the overall performance of critical thinking skills significantly. In the explanation component of critical thinking skills, it is found that blocked practice were more effective than interleaved practice. In sum, both of the methods can enhance the critical thinking skills with similar effect. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / 張錦華. / Thesis (Ed.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2015. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 167-181). / Abstracts also in English. / Zhang Jinhua.