This thesis is developed upon inquires on urban spatial structure of Southeast Asian extended metropolitan region (EMR) and its impacts on travel. Literature suggests that while efforts in promoting transport sustainability in the developed world have included policy measures involving urban spatial structure and its physical features as a consequence of the understanding on strong link between land use and transport, there has been lack of understandings on the spatial structure in major cities in Southeast Asia. Exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) is adopted for identification of important components of the spatial structure of employment in the Jakarta Metropolitan Area (JMA). The approach has been specifically designed in order to extract clusters as suggested in the Southeast Asian EMR concept. It is found that the spatial structure of employment in the JMA consists of the following major components: the urban core of Jakarta; the single dominant and expanded regional CBD within the urban core of Jakarta; manufacturing corridors that are largely follow toll roads radiating out of the urban core; local government regions that in general have not been developed into substantial sub-centres; desakota areas overlapping the manufacturing corridors and the agricultural areas; and portions of agricultural areas in the outer parts of Bekasi, Bogor and Tangerang regencies. The result shows that spatial structure of JMA conforms to the Southeast Asian EMR concept rather than the monocentric, polycentric or sprawl patterns debated for the case of developed cities. Commuting impacts of the identified spatial structure of employment and its physical features are investigated using the desireline analysis, home-to-work trip pattern comparisons (ANOVA) by the employment clusters, and ordinary linear regression and logistic regression models. It is found that the spatial structure identified and its physical features have significant associations to variations in the pattern of commuting across the region. The physical features of the employment spatial structure identified include important policy sensitive variables such as job density, job to household ratio, land use diversity and job accessibility. Policy implications of the findings are developed and centred on recommending both the spatial structure of employment and its physical characteristics that promote more sustainable transport in the JMA.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-09-04Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:31:06Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 borges_rcm_me_rcla.pdf: 391606 bytes, checksum: 66c10971725f27dbdf5ab24315e2a216 (MD5) / O objetivo desta pesquisa é de verificar quais os pressupostos teóricos que embasam o Programa de Formação Continuada para Professores do Ensino Médio, denominado como Ensino Médio em Rede (EMR), e também identificar como esses pressupostos se apresentaram aos professores através das atividades aplicadas no processo de formação. Nesse sentido, fizemos um levantamento acerca das teorias de formação de professores a fim termos subsídios teóricos necessários para realização dessa investigação. Portanto, fizemos um relato do Projeto Pedagógico do Programa EMR e das fichas de atividades da Vivência Formadora que se destinaram para formação dos professores, materiais utilizados para análise dos dados. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa onde utilizamos os usos dos termos dos documentos para análise. / The theoretical conjectures which were the basis for the High School Continued Teacher`s Training Program – High School Network (Ensino Médio em Rede – EMR) are the main subjects of this research. In addition, we also ascertain how these conjectures were presented to the teachers in the activities of the Instructive Experience (Vivência Formativa – VF). EMR Program was designed for Level II Basic Education Teachers, Coordinators, Technical-Pedagogical Assistants and Supervisors from the Teaching State Network, from 2004 through 2006, sponsored by the State of São Paulo Education Secretary through Pedagogical Standards and Studies Coordination. It is a qualitative research, bibliographical mainly, which uses reference works such as those by Nóvoa, Sacristán, Libâneo, Pimenta. Lüdke and others to analyse the Pedagogical Project of the Program in question and the Instructive Experience Activity Cards in order to attain the objective proposed by this research.

Background: Blockchain technology may seem like a complex system, but it is simply a decentralized database designed to remove the need for third-party organisation in data management. Blockchain is being researched for uses in the various industry out of which healthcare is one. Healthcare industry suffers from various issues such as imperfect data, a broken medical history that is split across various healthcare institutions, and so on. Blockchain might be the approach it needs to optimize it to a greater level of functioning. Objectives: The objectives of this report are to understand whether the decentralization feature along with other features of blockchain technology can be advantageous to the healthcare industry and also to summarize the previous implementation for the use cases of the technology in the domain. Methods: The method used is a literature survey. We perform a study selection process in four steps. After each step, the number of publications is reduced as unwanted publications are omitted using search strings, inclusion and exclusion criteria. We even conducted a study quality assessment which helps us analyse the quality offindings from the final set of selected papers in answering the research questions. Results: We have summarized the findings from the 36 selected papers from the study selection process according to the research questions. Conclusions: Blockchain technology provides data security, once any data is registered on the blockchain it cannot be altered or manipulated. It eliminates the need for a third party to verify the transactions on the chain. As blockchain is a budding new technology with very little age under its belt, there needs to more research on the topic before this can be applied over a large scale of systems that are operating in critical areas such as healthcare. Even though implementing blockchain for the use cases such as Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), research trials and so on, it can not be done immediately as the exposure of this technology to the common public and healthcare individuals is very limited.

The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed under the Obama administration, mandated physicians to complete certification for electronic medical records (EMRs). Despite these mandates and the increased access to information technology, slow adoption rates persist on the use of EMRs. Guided by the theory of planned behavior and the technology acceptance model, the purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the independent variables perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, perceived behavioral control, perceived social influence, attitudes toward EMR, and the dependent variable user acceptance. This study identified physicians in the United States as end-users of EMRs. In this study, 76 randomly selected physicians in the United States, identified as end-users of EMRs, completed an electronic survey requiring responses to a 5-point Likert Scale model. Standard multiple regression analysis served as the means used to analyze the regression model. Despite the regression model being statistically significant, none of the individual independent variables had statistical significance in predicting user acceptance. Interdependence and homoscedasticity likely contributed to this phenomenon. Social change implications include understanding of physician perceptions and beliefs--how physician perceptions and beliefs affect EMR adoption. Because adoption rates did not achieve 100% certification by end-users, another social change implication includes the necessity of examining how end-user acceptance could decrease medical errors, increase efficiencies in physician workload, and improve communication within the health care industry.

The health care industry is transforming into an industry that requires health information technology, yet many health care organizations are reluctant to implement new technology. The purpose of this case study was to explore strategies that led to a successful transition from an older electronic health record (EHR) system to a compliant EHR system at a multisite hospital system (MHS). The study included face-to-face and phone interviews with 12 managers who worked on the transition of an MHS's EHR system in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The technology acceptance model was used to frame the study. Audio recordings with these managers were transcribed and analyzed along with interview notes and publicly available documents to identify themes regarding strategies used by managers to successfully upgrade to a compliant EHR system at an MHS. Three major themes emerged: hybrid implementation strategy, training strategy, and social pressure strategy. Results may be used to facilitate the adoption of information technology systems in any industry. Results may directly benefit other MHSs by facilitating successful EHR system transitions. Implications for social change include improved care coordination, reductions in duplicated medical procedures, and more timely and relevant tests for patients through the full use of EHRs.

Health care business professionals have been slow to implement electronic medical records (EMRs), although this is a federal requirement tied to reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid. Guided by the conceptual framework of the technology acceptance model (TAM), the purpose of this single-case study was to explore EMR strategies that health care business professionals use to increase productivity and revenue. The target population was comprised of health care business professionals with EMR strategies in Orange County, New York. Methodological triangulation included analysis of semistructured interviews with 7 health care business professionals and review of organizational documents consisting of emails, meeting minutes, and a handbook. The recruitment strategy used was random sampling and snowball sampling. Analysis included compiling data, coding the data by disassembling into categories, and reassembling the data into emergent themes. The findings of the study included 5 themes or strategies focused on EMR implementation, leaders' efforts to support and sustain the EMR, helping users accept the EMR, communication and efficiency for increasing productivity and revenue, and helping users improve health care safety. Health care business organizations can benefit by knowing where to focus their resources, maximizing return on investment. The findings could effect social change by enumerating strategies that businesses can use to improve performance, and productivity for health care business professionals and improve quality, care coordination, and management of population health and safety of health care for patients.

Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) are digital versions of paper charts, used to record the treatment of different patients in hospitals. Clinical pathways are used as guidelines for how to treat different diseases, determined by observing outcomes from previous treatments. Sequential pattern mining is a version of data mining where the data mined is organized in sequences. It is a common research topic in data mining with many new variations on existing algorithms being introduced frequently. In a previous report, the sequential pattern mining algorithm PrefixSpan was used to mine patterns in EMRs to verify or suggest new clinical pathways. It was found to only be able to verify pathways partially. One of the reasons stated for this was that PrefixSpan was too inefficient to be able to mine at a low enough support to consider some items. In this report CSpan is used instead, since it is supposed to outperform PrefixSpan by up to two orders of magnitude, in order to improve runtime and thereby address the problems mentioned in the previous work. The results show that CSpan did indeed improve the runtime and the algorithm was able to mine at a lower minimum support. However, the output was only barely improved. / Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) är digitala versioner av behandlingshistoriken för patienter på sjukhus. Clinical pathways används som riktlinjer för hur olika sjukdomar borde behandlas, vilka bestäms genom att observera utkomsten av tidigare behandlingar. Sequential pattern mining är en typ av data mining där datan som behandlas är strukturerad i sekvenser. Det är ett vanligt forskningsområde inom data mining där många nya variationer av existerande algoritmer introduceras frekvent. I en tidigare rapport användes sequential pattern mining algoritmen PrefixSpan på EMRs för att verifiera eller föreslå nya clinical pathways. Den kunde dock endast verifiera pathways delvis. En av anledningarna som nämndes för detta var att PrefixSpan var för ineffektiv för att kunna köras med en tillräckligt låg support för att kunna finna vissa åtgärder i en behandling. I den här rapporten används istället CSpan, eftersom den ska överprestera PrefixSpan med upp till två storleksordningar, för att förbättra körningstiden och därmed adressera problemen som nämns i den tidigare rapporten. Resultaten visar att CSpan förbättrade körningstiden och algoritmen kunde köras med lägre support. Däremot blev utdatan knappt förbättrad.

No description available.

Systems that exhibit the extraordinary magnetoresistance (EMR) effect and other more disordered semiconductor-metal hybrid structures have been investigated numerically with the use of the finite element method (FEM). Initially, modelling focused on circular geometry EMR devices where a single metallic droplet is embedded concentrically into a larger semiconducting disk. The dependence of the magnetoresistance of such systems on the transverse magnetic field (0 5T) and filling factor (1/16 15/16) are reported and generally show a very good agreement with existing experimental data. The influence of the geometry of the conducting region of these EMR systems was then investigated. The EMR effect was found to be highly sensitive to the shape of the conducting region with a multi-branched geometry producing a four order of magnitude enhancement of the magnetoresistance over a circular geometry device of the same filling factor. Conformal mapping has previously been shown to transform a circular EMR device into an equivalent linear geometry. Such a linear EMR device has been modelled with the EMR mechanism clearly observed. The magnetoresistive response of a circular EMR device upon changes to: the mobility of the semiconducting region; the ratio of metal to semiconductor conductivity; and the introduction of a finite resistance at the semiconductor-metal interface, have also been investigated. In order for a large EMR effect to be observed the system requires: the semiconductor mobility to be large; the conductivity of the metal to be greater than two orders of magnitude larger than that of the semiconductor; and a very low interface resistance. This modelling procedure has been extended to include inhomogeneous semiconductor-metal hybrids with a more complex and disordered structure. Two models are presented, both based upon the random distribution of a small proportion of metal inside a semiconducting material. The resultant magnetoresistance in each case is found to have a quasi-linear dependence on magnetic field, similar to that observed in the silver chalcogenides.

Po industrializacijos periodo buvo pastebėtas vis didėjantis neigiamas poveikis aplinkai, kuris nebuvo kiekybiškai apskaičiuojamas ir įtraukiamas į ekonomines sąskaitas. Aplinka ir ekonomika yra glaudžiai susijusios. Aplinka turi ekonominę vertę, kuri yra itin svarbi ir reikšminga visai ekonomikai, gamintojams ir vartotojams. Tik prieš šimtmetį pradėtas analizuoti ekonominės veiklos neigiamas poveikis aplinkai, kurį būtina valdyti, įtraukti į ekonominius skaičiavimus ir kaip galima labiau minimizuoti. Šio darbo tikslas - atlikti dviejų ekologinę mokesčių reformą įgyvendinusių šalių lyginamąją analizę ir pateikti rekomendacijas Lietuvai dėl galimos ekologinių mokesčių reformos įgyvendinimo plėtros. Pirmoje darbo dalyje analizuojama ekologinių mokesčių koncepcija: jų atsiradimo priežastys, tikslai, privalumai ir trūkumai, taip pat įtaka darniam šalies vystymuisi. Antroje dalyje apžvelgiamos ekologinių mokesčių reformos Švedijoje ir Vokietijoje, taip pat aprašomas šių reformų palyginimo bei Lietuvos esamos situacijos analizės šioje srityje metodologinis pagrindimas. Paskutinėje darbo dalyje atlikta lyginamoji reformų Švedijoje ir Vokietijoje rezultatų analizė įtraukiant ir Lietuvos aplinkos situacijos bei mokesčių vertinimą, taip pat pateikiamos rekomendacijos aplinkos mokesčių reformos plėtrai Lietuvoje. / Following industrialization, negative environmental impact, which previously had not been evaluated quantatively and was not included in economic accounts, was taken into account. Economics and the environment are closely related disciplines. The environment has economical value which is very relevant to the whole economy, producers and consumers. Only a century ago negative economic impact on the environment began to be analyzed and included in calculations with the aim of minimizing environmental impact as much as possible. The aim of this work is to undertake a comparable analysis of two countries which have already carried out eco-tax reform, and to propose recommendations about eco-tax reform introduction and development in Lithuania. The first part of this work examines the concept of eco-taxes: their causes, goals, strengths and weaknesses, as well as their impact on sustainable development. The second part is an overview of eco-tax reform in Sweden and Germany, and description of methodology of comparable analysis of eco-tax reform in Sweden and Germany, and of estimation of the tax situation in Lithuania. The last part includes comparable analysis of those 2 countries and Lithuania, as well it finishes with recommendations for eco-tax reform‘s possible results in Lithuania.