Family and friends provide substantial daily assistance to older adults with disabilities, but little is known about how that caregiving impacts the health of older adults. Using survey data on a nationally-representative sample of older adults and their caregivers, matched with Medicare claims, I explored several aspects of the relationship between caregiving and the health of older adults receiving care. I relied largely on Andersen’s behavioral model, which describes health services use as a product of predisposing, enabling, and need characteristics. I found that 33%-37% of older adults with unmet care needs at one point in time still have them one year later. I also found frequent change in the composition of older adults’ networks of caregivers. Having a formal caregiver was associated with lower odds of unmet care needs for women; conversely, men receiving care from a spouse had three times lower odds of unmet care needs than those receiving care from a non-spousal caregiver. Some caregivers use services such as respite care, training, and support groups, but some caregivers lack access to desired services. I found that caregivers reporting unmet service need were more likely to be Black and Hispanic, while service use was higher among caregivers providing help on a regular schedule. Care-recipient health and function was associated with both service use and unmet service need, but available measures of local caregiver service supply were not. Older adults frequently seek care in emergency departments (EDs), but this care may not always be necessary or desirable. I hypothesized, but did not find, that caregiver service use was associated with care-recipient ED use. Instead, chronic health conditions and other need factors were the strongest predictors of ED use. I found that care-recipients of male caregivers had lower rates of ED utilization for reasons that were urgent and not preventable. I also found that care-recipients of adult children had lower rates of non-urgent ED utilization than care-recipients of more distantly-related or unrelated caregivers. These findings suggest that unmet care needs might be reduced by improving access to formal care for older women with functional limitations and monitoring unmarried older men. In addition, improving service access for Black and Hispanic caregivers, and for caregivers who provide unscheduled care, could reduce caregivers’ unmet service need. Finally, targeting training and support services to male spousal caregivers could improve access both to needed daily care and to emergency care. Future research should focus on replicating these analyses after more data become available and on developing alternate measures of caregiver service supply.

Function-based assessments and interventions are routinely used in school settings as an effective method to address problem behaviors that impede the learning of the student or others. When function-based interventions are not successful, it is often due to problems with treatment integrity (TI). Using an ABCBC single subject design, this study examined whether function-based teacher supports could improve TI. The results demonstrated that the function-based supports provided to the teacher resulted in higher levels of TI and improvements in student behavioral outcomes. Using function-based intervention concepts to develop teacher intervention support, limitations to the study, and directions for future research are discussed.

No description available.

This thesis is a study of the family farm, the authority of government as it relates to agriculture, the background of agriculture price support programs, agriculture price supports, the effects of agriculture price support, subsidy payments by the United States government, and the present trends.

La durabilité des piles à combustible à membrane échangeuse de protons, jugée à l’heure actuelle insuffisante, est principalement liée à la dégradation des supports de catalyseur cathodiques carbonés. Afin d’augmenter cette durabilité, un fin revêtement de dioxyde d’étain est effectué sur différents types de carbone (nanotubes, noirs et aérogel de carbone). L’objectif est d’obtenir un matériau alliant la morphologie et la conductivité électrique des carbones avec la stabilité thermodynamique du dioxyde d’étain. Plusieurs types de carbone avec des propriétés intrinsèques différentes ont été choisis afin d’avoir un large un panel de textures et de structures. Dans ces travaux de thèse, des études expérimentales ont été effectuées dans le but d’obtenir des revêtements d’oxyde d’étain fins, homogènes et couvrants. Ces études ont mis en l’avant l’influence primordiale de la texture et de la structure du carbone, mais aussi de la valeur du pH du milieu réactionnel sur la qualité et la quantité de revêtement. Il a aussi été montré que les mécanismes de transformation du précurseur en dioxyde d’étain dépendent de la valeur de ce pH. En améliorant les interactions entre la surface des carbones et des espèces réactives, il a été possible dans certains cas de diminuer grandement la quantité de précurseur tout en améliorant la qualité du revêtement. Les dépôts de nanoparticules de platine effectués sur des aérogels de carbone bruts et revêtus ont mis en avant un comportement différent du platine qui a tendance à s’agglomérer lorsqu’il est en contact avec le dioxyde d’étain. Les performances initiales ainsi que la durabilité des électrocatalyseurs en fonction de deux tests de vieillissement accéléré (classique ou démarrage/arrêt) ont ensuite été discutées, mettant en avant des résultats mitigés. / The proton exchange membrane fuel cell’s lifespan is insufficient because of the degradation of carbon used as cathodic catalyst supports. In order to reduce this degradation, a thin tin dioxide coating is synthesized on the surface of different carbonaceous materials (nanotubes, carbon blacks and aerogel). The aim is to combine the morphology and the electric conductivity of the carbon with the thermodynamic stability of the tin dioxide. Carbonaceous materials with different intrinsic properties are chosen for this study to test a wide range of textures and structures. Experimental studies were carried out in order to synthesize a thin, homogeneous and covering tin dioxide coating. The major influences of the texture and structure of carbonaceous materials but also the influence of the pH value on the quantity and quality of the coating are highlighted. It turns out that the mechanism of formation of tin dioxide depends on this pH value. Thanks to the improvement of the interactions between the carbon surface and the reactive species, it was possible, in some cases, to reduce drastically the quantity of precursor. Platinum nanoparticles deposition performed on various materials (raw or coated carbon aerogel) highlights a different platinum behavior. In fact, on the tin dioxide surface, nanoparticles tend to agglomerate together instead of making a homogeneous dispersion. Then, the initial performances and the durability of electrocatalysts tested with two accelerated stress tests (load protocol or start/stop protocol) are evaluated, spotlighting mitigate results.

L'activité chimique des catalyseurs a longuement été le coeur des travaux R&D, conduisant à une influence accrue des limitations diffusionnelles internes. Il est donc important de quantifier et modéliser ces limitations dans le but d'optimiser la conception et les performances des catalyseurs.Dans le cadre de notre projet, en s'appuyant sur une approche de Monte Carlo, des réseaux aléatoires en 2D ou 3D, constitués par des pores cylindriques interconnectés, sont générés de façon à reproduire la porosité, la surface spécifique et le volume poreux des supports d'alumine-gamma. Cet outil est capable de générer des réseaux jusqu'à 18000×18000 noeuds en 2D et 600×600×600 en 3D et contenant 2 milliards de pores. Seulement 4s sont nécessaires à la génération de réseaux 2D carré en 200x200.Un modèle 1D du transport de matière est utilisé à l'échelle du pore en supposant une diffusion fickienne. La diffusion peut être simulée dans des réseaux de taille jusqu'à 200×200. La confrontation des tortuosités simulées aux données de la littérature montre un bon accord. Cependant, la comparaison avec les valeurs expérimentales issues d'études par chromatographie inverse, montre des valeurs expérimentales plus élevées, probablement dû à la présence de deux niveaux de porosité.L'algorithme a par conséquent été modifié afin de générer des réseaux à deux niveaux de porosité et ainsi, reproduire les propriétés texturales et de transfert de matière d'une alumine. Pour un réseau 2D périodique en 100×100, concernant les propriétés texturales, des erreurs relatives inférieures à 10% ont été obtenues. De plus, des tortuosités comparables ont été estimés, 2.34 pour 2.40 expérimentalement / The chemical activity of catalysts has long been the core of R&D studies, leading to an increased influence of internal diffusion limitations. It is therefore important to model and quantify these mass transfer limitations in order to optimize catalyst design and increase performance.In the framework of our project, 2D or 3D pore networks, constituted by interconnected cylindrical pores, are randomly generated by a Monte Carlo approach to reproduce the porosity, specific surface area and pore volume of gamma-alumina supports. A highly efficient tool, capable of generating 2D networks of 18000×18000 and 600×600×600 nodes in 3D, containing up to 2 billion pores. Only 4s are required to generate 2D networks of size 200x200.Mass transfer is simulated by the 1D Fick’s diffusion model within each pore of the network. 200×200 networks, containing up to 80,000 pores, can be simulated. The confrontation of the calculated tortuosities as a function of porosity, to theoretical correlations shows a good agreement. However, when comparing with experimental values from fixed-bed tracer experiments obtained for different gamma-alumina pellets, actual aluminas exhibit higher tortuosities, probably due to the organisation of the porous structure in two levels.Hence, by modifying the developed model to generate two-level networks, we have been able to reproduce both textural and diffusion properties of one alumina. Taking a 2D periodic network of size 100×100 and concerning the textural properties, relative errors less than 10% were obtained. In addition, a good agreement was found for the tortuosity values, 2.34 against the experimental value of 2.40

L'hydrodynamique et les transferts thermiques dans des réacteurs types lits fixes font l'objet d'études depuis une soixantaine d'années. Les informations fournies par ces travaux sont importantes pour le dimensionnement des réacteurs industriels. En effet, une étroite relation entre les propriétés de transports et le design du procédé (réacteur et support catalytique) est mise en avant dans l'état de l'art. Mais force est de constater que la complexité des phénomènes entraine des divergences entre les observations et les différentes conclusions faites par les auteurs. Deux pilotes à échelle laboratoire ont été conçus et mis en place au cours de cette thèse. L'un est dédié à l'étude hydrodynamique et l'autre à l'étude thermique. La caractérisation hydro-thermique des réacteurs passe également par une étape de développement de modèles mathématiques associés aux pilotes. Ils représentent les transferts opérant au sein d'une colonne garnie. Ils permettent également d'estimer les paramètres effectifs du milieu poreux. Les quatre grandeurs caractéristiques étudiées dans cette thèse sont les pertes de charges, la dispersion axiale, la conductivité effective globale et le coefficient d'échange thermique à la paroi. Les résultats obtenus à partir des modèles sont comparés aux travaux de la littérature. Ceci permet de valider les méthodes d'estimation développées dans cette thèse. Il est remarqué que les corrélations prédictives de la conductivité effective sont peu adaptées aux morphologies de supports les plus complexes. Nous proposons donc aussi de nouvelles corrélations basées sur nos mesures / Hydrodynamics and heat transfers in packed bed reactors have been studied for about sixty years. The information supplied by this work is important for the design of industrial reactors. Indeed, there is a close relationship between the heat and mass transfers and the design of the process (reactor and catalytic support); this is highlighted in the state of the art. It is clear that the complexity of the phenomena is the cause of divergences between the observations and the conclusions made by the authors. Two laboratory-scale pilots were designed and set up during this PhD thesis. One is dedicated to the hydrodynamic studies and the other to the thermal studies. The hydro-thermal characterization of the reactors includes a step of development of mathematical models associated with the pilots. They represent transfers occurring within the bed of particles. Coupling experimental data with the models allows estimating the effective parameters of the porous medium. The four characteristic quantities studied in this PhD thesis are the pressure drop, the axial dispersion, the overall effective conductivity and the heat transfer coefficient at the wall. The results are compared with the data provided by the open literature. This validates the estimation methods developed during this PhD thesis. It is noticed that the predictive correlations of the effective thermal conductivity are not adapted to the morphologies of the most complex supports. Based on our measurements, new correlations were developed

abstract: The purpose of this study was to implement Tier 1 universal expectations and Tier 2 secondary preventions, using a School-wide Positive Behavior Supports (SWPBS) problem-solving framework with fidelity in a culturally and linguistically diverse urban elementary school. A mixed-method design was used to address the following three research questions. How can school leadership teams design and implement Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports with fidelity in an urban elementary school? In what ways can Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions, designed and created by a school leadership team, reduce disruptive student behaviors? How satisfied were staff members with implementation of the Tier 1 and Tier 2 preventions? Data collection was completed using office discipline referrals (ODRs), the School-wide Evaluation Tool (SET 2.0), the Benchmarks of Quality (BoQ), staff surveys, and interviews to aid researchers and educational leaders in urban schools in identifying successes, pitfalls, and areas needing improvement in the implementation of Tier 1 and Tier 2 supports in urban schools. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Curriculum and Instruction 2015

Un modèle simplifié aux éléments finis a été proposé pour l'analyse des structures à ossature bois avec remplissage en pierres et mortier de terre en utilisant des modèles de comportement hystérétique pour les assemblages et certains éléments structuraux. Trois échelles différentes ont été définies pour l'identification et la validation des modèles hystérétiques: celle de l'assemblage, celle du mur de cisaillement et enfin celle de la structure complète en vraie grandeur. Le modèle calibré a été utilisé pour vérifier la correcte résistance aux séismes d'une maison traditionnelle Haïtienne à un étage ainsi que pour concevoir un exemple de bâtiment à deux étages utilisant les mêmes dispositifs constructifs. / A simplified finite element model was proposed for the analysis of timber-framed structures with infilling of rocks and clay morter by using hysteretic constitutive models for joints and structural elements. Three different scales were defined for the identification and validation of hysteretic models: connection, shear wall and full-scale building; comparisons of numerical and test results were performed at each scale. The calibrated model allowed assessing the earthquake-resistant performance of a traditional Haitian one-storey house and could be used for the design of a two-storey house.

The focus of this study is on the evaluation of community based care and support service for older persons in the community. The government of South Africa and other African Countries held several discussions with the intention of addressing the needs and challenges of older persons in the community. As a follow up to the discussion, the new developmental approach, that is the South African Policy for Older Persons of 2005 and the Older Persons Act, 13 of 2006, promulgated in line with the recommendation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on ageing which was drafted and adopted at the World Assembly on Ageing that was convened by the United Nations in 2002. Older Persons Act 13 of 2006 was developed with the intention of addressing the needs of older persons in the community as the Aged Act no 100 of 1967 as amended in 1998, was focusing more on the residential care service. The Older Persons Act 13 of 2006 recognizes the importance of community-based care and support services and this means that the service delivery to older persons has been broadened and services have become more inclusive and accessible. Older persons will be able to remain in their communities within their families for as long as possible. According to the Older Persons Act 13 of 2006, the community-based care and support services means any programmes that are rendered to older persons to enable them to remain independent in their communities for as long as possible. These programmes are preventing the unnecessary admission of older persons in the residential care facilities. According to the Older Persons Act 13 of 2006, the Community-based care and support services are categorized into, namely, prevention and promotion programmes and the home-based care services. These two categories will be discussed in details in this study. In this study the researcher used the older persons (recipients of services), representatives of management committees for the Non-profit organizations rendering services to older persons in the community and the officials of the Department of Social Development as participants. The aim of this study is to discuss and evaluate the community-based care and support services strategy as used by the Department of Social Development in rendering services to older persons within communities in Motheo District (Free State Province) and to raise the viewpoints of direct service providers (management committees) officials of the Department of Social Development and older persons that receive these services, in order to enhance the delivery of this programme. The research methodology that was utilized in this study includes the empirical research and the literature review. A literature review was conducted by the researcher for a clear understanding of the nature and meaning of the problem that has been identified. The questionnaires and interview tools were used by the researcher as methods of data collection. This study consists of two articles, article 1: Background and nature of community-based care and support services and article 2: Evaluation of community-based care and support services The findings from the study indicated that the community based care and support services can be the best and important programme for older persons in the community if it can be well implemented. / MSW, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014