Thesis (M.S. in Operations Research)--Naval Postgraduate School, September 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Carlyle, W. Matthew. "September 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on November 04, 2009. Author(s) subject terms: Network analysis for critical infrastructure. Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-32). Also available in print.

Thesis (J.S.D.)--University of Chicago Law School. / "August 2003." Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1999. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-64). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Major paper (M.U.R.P.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1992. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-69). Also available via the Internet.

Risk reduction processes in healthcare remain at the core of 21st century health care provision, though the continuing scale of the problem gives little room for complacency. While other areas of complex technological activity such as air transportation can demonstrate improvements in safety performance, comparable progress eludes modern healthcare. A review of risk reduction techniques within healthcare identifies that there exists a lack of tools involving simulation of risk. It has been necessary in the context of the research to establish many wholly original information structures representing healthcare activity and associated risk related interactions This Thesis describes a new risk simulation environment for the Critical Care Unit of University Hospital, Coventry which is a 1200 bed modern acute hospital which fully opened in 2006. Available sets of patient admission/discharge information and records of patient treatment records used for cost charging together with extensive direct observation of clinical activity are used to create simulated patient episodes within the Critical Care environment. Specific patient interventions are sub divided into a series of up to 7 sub tasks which are associated with sub competencies and a linked adverse effect. Such sub competencies can be coded to reflect three levels of task complexity. Separate codes can be allocated to identify sub competencies which are supervised and sub competencies for which additional competency can be requested from other team members. A fuzzy logic framework has been adopted to combine empirically derived mathematical functions which for a specific sub task, translate values of individual effectiveness, distraction, competency mismatch of individual/team together with the level of supervision to a specific risk value for each adverse effect. This fuzzy logic framework, referenced as the ‘risk engine’ has specific responses for levels of sub task complexity and can be modified by indicators relating to sub task supervision and competency sharing. In addition, each sub task/competency is associated with an adverse effect whose probability of occurrence can be reduced through identified safe working practices which are referenced as ‘preventive measures’. Individual effectiveness is identified as being influenced by cirdadian rhythm, physical effort, emotional/stress effort, intellectual effort, sleep deficit and long term factors. Organisational factors influencing individual effectiveness are identified as patient admission and shift handover. The risk simulation process is implemented within a 10 bed Critical Care Unit which utilises a specifically designed nurse rostering process for 12 hour shift periods. Sub grades of nurse skills (1 to 15) are used to structure skill mix within each rostered group and which are based on representative nurse grades (band 5, 6 and 7). Available competencies of nursing staff for a specific sub task are allocated on the basis of sub grade value and the parameter of individual competency mismatch is derived from values of required competency and available competency for each sub task. The team competency mismatch for a specific sub task linked to a specific individual is derived from the maximum available competency within the active nursing team. Nursing staff are allocated to patients on the basis of clinical need at the start of each shift. A novel feature of the model identifies modes of interaction between nursing individuals on a ‘bed to bed’ basis as relating to parameters of distraction, supervision and competency sharing and which are related to the physical layout of the active clinical area. A fuzzy logic sub system for determining values of such interaction coefficients and which uses the same design methodology as the ‘risk engine’ is described.

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The thesis presents a series of principles, similar to those developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in relation to policy oriented indicators, intended to codify best-practice with regards to the design of pesticide risk indicators for use by farmers. Development of these principles was based upon extensive reviews of the literature concerning the potential exposure to and impacts of pesticides on non-target organisms and the relative merits and limitations of different methodological approaches, discussions with farmers concerning the suitability of different approaches to risk indicators and experimental assessments of indicator performance. These assessments took the form of a three-year field trial examining the impact of different levels of pesticide input upon non-target arthropods and several smaller trials that compared the performance of different insecticides and investigated the effect of differences in pesticide dose on non-target arthropods. The data were then compared with the theoretical results generated by a number of different risk indicators. The thesis also identifies a number of barriers to the implementation of these principles in the form of new pesticide risk indicators. These include restrictions on the range of non-target organisms and potential effects for which high quality data is available and the methodological difficulties associated with the incorporation of sublethal, indirect and ecosystem-level effects into risk indicators. Improvements in the validation of pesticide risk indicators that enable objective evaluations of indicator performance to be made are also required.

The purpose of this research was to examine and describe attrition and analyze factors that affect attrition at the United States Naval Academy. Specifically, the research attempts to identify characteristics that may signal a student's propensity to attrite from school. The intention is to determine if there are common characteristics among those who attrited from the Academy and to determine what role organizational factors and Academy experiences had on attrition. The desired end state is to identify a partial list of characteristics the Company Officer may use to flag at risk Midshipmen and when appropriate, intervene to reduce attrition. The results of the research indicate those who fail one or more physical readiness tests, females, and minorities have a greater probability of attriting from the Academy. This study summarizes the results, makes recommendations to the United States Naval Academy and for future research. / US Marine Corps (USMC) author.