Despite the ongoing initiatives of quality improvement collaboratives in healthcare which reflect various multifaceted intervention packages, clear evidence of the effectiveness of the model itself is lacking. Little is known about the true impact of the collaborative approach on improvement outcomes or how specific components are actually implemented within participating organizations. This dissertation reports on empirical qualitative research undertaken to investigate “how” healthcare providers and management describe the experience of being involved in a collaborative network for quality improvement. Using a process evaluation of a sample QI collaborative, this research reveals that frontline staff do not feel the need to conform or be identical to their peer organizations; rather they feel that by participating with them that their high level of care is finally recognized. In addition, the existing communication structure is ineffective for staff engagement and a “QI bubble” seems to exist in terms of knowledge transfer and the idea of collaboration bears out more internally in increased intra-team cooperation than externally between organizations or units. Selected theoretical perspectives from the fields of sociology and organizational behaviour are used as an analytic framework from which the author posits that based on the findings from this case study that in fact collaboratives may not actually function by any of the commonly held assumptions of legitimization, communication and collaboration. A conceptual framework for how these constructs are related in terms of QI collaborative design is proposed for future testing. With further work and on-the-ground testing of this model and relational hypotheses, this research can help the QI community develop a more functional theory of collaborative improvement and use mixed methods evaluation to better understand complex QI implementation.

Everyone has to take a greater responsibility in energy issues, both individuals and companies. There have been some major developments in the construction industry but there is still a lot to be done.   This diploma work thesis presents different methods of making existing construction shed establishments to use less energy. What is possible to do and how much energy is there to be saved? A shed establishment consisting of 8 shed units were studied in this project and the building simulation tool VIP-Energy was used to simulate different types of material in the sheds. An infrared camera was used to locate thermal bridges.   There are several factors that can be improved to make a construction shed establishment to use less energy. Replacement of old windows and doors, using more insulation, replacement of old less efficient insulation with new improved materials, using a different heating system, and more. One factor, which is more important than all the others, is to insulate between the 8 different shed units in the establishment. It is also important to make the construction wind proof.   The results show that if you replace the old wall and roof insulation with new better insulation, replace the old windows and doors and seal the gaps between the shed units the total energy reduction would be as high as 60%. All companies working with the handling or utilization of shed establishments at building sites should consider these improvements.

The purpose of this study was to identify the major school improvement needs and related strategies for two Bangladeshi secondary public schools based upon the perceptions of in-school professionals, parents, and students. To implement the study, I employed the constructivist/interpretive paradigm with a case study as my research design. The data collection techniques of document analysis, Nominal Group Technique (NGT) meetings, and individual interviews were utilized. For the purpose of NGT meetings, from each school, one teacher group, one parent group, and one student group were interviewed. After the completion of NGT meetings, individual interviews were held with one participant selected from each NGT group. I also interviewed the headmasters of the two schools. This study revealed that in a Bangladeshi educational context, major catalysts for improvement were market mechanisms and educational policies. The most significant finding of this study was that considering contextual applicability before implementing new initiatives was a critical strategy toward achieving sustainable school improvement in Bangladesh. The data indicated that in these schools, desired improvement efforts mainly consisted of two clusters: identifying the key school improvement needs and developing the strategies to meet those needs. The data revealed that the identified school improvement needs can be grouped into providing the resources and improving the school culture. To enhance school effectiveness, these Bangladeshi schools need to recruit more specialized teachers, implement effective instructional methodologies, elevate the image of teaching profession, and provide teacher-led professional development. Participants identified other suggested school improvement needs to be: low student-teacher ratio, good textbooks, more extracurricular activities, and more instructional materials (such as, computers, projectors, televisions, sound system, and so on). This study also revealed a strong perception that the role of collaboration in improving school culture is crucial. Participants explained that in order to successfully implement improvement initiatives, major challenges to the process need to be addressed. Participants identified three important barriers to implementation. These included lack of attention to the voices of all stakeholders during policymaking, the misuses of private tutoring or coaching, and lack of commitment among some of the teachers in their teaching. Findings affirmed that these barriers could be addressed by including all stakeholders voices in educational policy-making, addressing the misuses of private tutoring or coaching, and making teachers more accountable. A number of implications for theory, practice, policy, and further research arose from this study. Participants noted that teachers, parents, students, teacher-training authority, Bangladeshi Government, Non Government Organizations, school administrators, and district administrators were co-responsible within their own capacities to provide the necessary support and resources for school improvement in Bangladeshi context.

All of the communication, IA, and the cellular phone need the capabilities which can be provided by the ARM microprocessor that has the advantages with high efficient, low power consumption, and low cost. According to the market research that Gartner proposed, ARM occupied the highest with 54% at the market of embedded microprocessor, and 70% of the cellular phones utilize the ARM kernel techniques in the whole world. The success of ARM is determined by the different on the hardware design compared with the general embedded microprocessor. In my thesis, the significant propose is to study the practicability and the essentiality of the hardware characters of the ARM microprocessor applied on different products. We design ¡§automatic register backup/restore system¡¨ to replace ARM¡¦s banked registers. This design is capable of reducing the circuit area of the register file by 27.6% and reducing the read delay of register file by 18.4%. We use a simpler method (TAP instruction) to select scan-chain for test mechanism.

Thesis (M.S.)--State University of New York. / Reprint of typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Oregon, 2000. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 354-373). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-110).

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Modern man must be able not only to learn but also to look actively for knowledge, information by himself, to determine his position in changing society. Self-education comes to help here. Self-education can be perceived as individual work (reading books, magazines, newspapers) that can be coordinated with collective forms of work (courses, seminars, lectures). Therefore, it can be asserted that self-education is mostly individualized activity of cognition helping to develop versatile and harmonious personality interested not only in the field of professional activities but in politics, aesthetics, moral as well. Research aim is to analyze adults’ self-education as a mean for personal improvement by giving recommendations how self-education could be made more efficient. The research was carried out from December 2004 to February 2005 seeking to disclose the needs of self-education of adult residents of Utena region as well as possibilities for their satisfaction. The method of random selection was applied in the research. Over 300 respondents were questioned by the means of questionnaires. The research was carried out in Utena A. ir M Miškinių Public Library and in libraries of Užpaliai and Vyžuonos rural districts. The residents of Utena town and region have broad possibilities for self-education. The sources of self-education of adults of Utena region are public library in the town, its branches in the town and countryside, school libraries, bookshops, concert... [to full text]

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