Thirty-eight clinicians were surveyed regarding their current clinical practices in assessing, tracking treatment and determining discharge criteria for clients with resonance disorders. When these results were compared with recommendations from the literature for best practices, it was found that: (a) most clinicians were using low-tech assessment tools (such as perceptual assessment) at least some of the time, (b) many clinicians were not using high-tech assessment tools (such as videofluoroscopy) simply because they lacked access to such tools, and (c) clinicians are remarkably similar in their clinical practices across a wide variety of circumstances (such as age, and employment setting). The primary recommendation accruing from these findings was that more high-tech assessment tools should be routinely available to clinicians practicing in this area. More consistent use of sophisticated assessment devices would exemplify contemporary thinking about transfer of knowledge to practice in the area of resonance disorders assessment and improve patient outcomes.

Work-related asthma surveillance is needed to improve management of occupational exposures, clinical recognition/diagnosis, and worker compensation policies. This work investigated asthma in relation to work by evaluating the utility of existing Canadian surveillance data in providing useful information about the burden of work-related asthma; estimating the burden of work-related asthma among Canada's adult population; and evaluating the effect of job risk on asthma after considering other potential risk factors for asthma. The working population formed samples from two Statistics Canada surveillance programs: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), 2002/03 Cycle 2.1 and National Population Health Survey (NPHS), Longitudinal Component (1994/95-2002/03). Both surveys enquired about health professional-diagnosed asthma; NPHS additionally asked age at time of diagnosis, so adult-onset versus childhood-onset asthma was determined. Both surveys enquired about current job held; corresponding job codes were linked to an asthma-specific job exposure matrix to judge job risk for occupational asthma. CCHS only provided current job information, in contrast, NPHS longitudinal data was used to determine job held at time of asthma-onset. Statistical measures for asthma in relation to job risk were estimated. CCHS results were likely biased by the healthy worker effect, as it showed the opposite effect of job risk on asthma than the NPHS; higher asthma prevalence was shown for NPHS men and women in high risk jobs. NPHS results indicated a large burden of adult-onset asthma among men (19,000) and childhood-onset asthma among women (17,000) attributed to working in high risk jobs for occupational asthma. Using NPHS, adjusted and crude prevalence odds ratio estimates were compared to further assess effect of job risk on asthma. For adult-onset asthma, there was no difference between estimates (men: 1.8, women: 1.1); for childhood-onset asthma, adjusted estimates were larger than crude, respectively (men: 1.3 v 1.2, women: 2.0 v 1.7). Age of asthma-onset and job held at time of asthma-onset is necessary surveillance information for estimating work-related asthma. There may be increased risk of work" caused" asthma among men and work "exacerbated" asthma among women in high risk jobs. Considering other risk factors for asthma did not reduce effect of job risk on asthma.

Electronic commerce is increasingly applied in commercial fields, no exception to construction procurement process. But coming with it, also creates many problems, many of them remain as hot issues for both researchers and stakeholders in industries and have not been solved, though enormous efforts have been offered from different parties involved, among which, ethics in e-commerce enabled construction procurement process stays on top of all. This thesis investigates ethical issues related to the e-commerce application in the construction industry. Research methods used in this study include a thorough literature review, a questionnaire survey, interviews and a case study. These studies were conducted in August 2004. The samples studied in my thesis included a group of 30 experienced construction professionals who were attending a MBA distance learning programme offered by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Beijing. Through these studies, various construction ethical issues such as computer ethics and corruption in the e-commerce enabled construction procurement process are thoroughly discussed and patterns of ethical behaviors were identified. Specifically, through the questionnaire and interviews, it was identified that the majority of the respondents (70%) agreed that ethical atmosphere is almost nonexistent in the China construction industry. The majority (78%) also agreed that there was only a little ethical awareness. However, the majority of respondents (51%) believed that there is a positive relationship between ethical behavior and long-term profitability of the company. On the other hand, the respondents' views were divided when judging the relationship between ethical behaviour and short-term profitability as 40% believed the relationship between ethical behaviour and short-term profitability of the company was uncritical, while 43% believed there was a strong relationship between them. The majority of respondents (63%) also confirmed that ethics was never discussed with companies. When asked on the difficulties encountered in developing a strong ethical awareness in the company, respondents cited various reasons including the lack of support from senior management; prevailing trend in the industry, negative impact on long-term and short-term profitability. The majority of respondents (90%) also chose "keep silent" when asked if they spotted unethical behaviors. Finally, the majority of respondents (90%) believed that unethical behaviors increase the cost of procurement by at least 10%. The interviews and case study reinforced the findings and revealed reasons for the ethical behaviors in China construction industry. Based on these findings, this study has proposed several remedial measures in order to prevent unethical behaviors. In addition, scope for further research is also identified.

An integral part of the Victorian land registration system is the lodgement of cadastral data.Originally data was lodged to support the operation of the land market and the legal rights ofthe individual owner. The purpose for which it was designed, coupled with the technologythat was available at the time, resulted in a paper based system of plans and indexes. Due tomany external factors, the current land registration system has essentially remained the samefor the past 130 years. However the need for cadastral information means that plan lodgementnow serves a wider range of needs, and although changes have been made to the system, itwould seem that document-based systems are reaching the limit of cost-effectiveimprovement.A detailed study of the Victorian system of data lodgement has shown there to be severalinefficiencies within the system, many of which would benefit by the shift to a digitalenvironment. Research has also shown that the Victorian surveying profession is actuallyquite prepared to adapt to a digital environment, with many surveyors already preparing orsubmitting plans digitally.Other jurisdictions that are experiencing similar problems to Victoria have progressedsubstantially in this area and form ideal examples to learn from. The study of thesejurisdictions has shown that although technically the process of lodging data in a digitalformat is quite straightforward, there are still many technical and legal problems that must beresolved.It is envisaged that in the future, data be lodged in a digital format, which would involve there-engineering of the Victorian land registration system as we know it. This thesis exploresthe concept of the lodgement of cadastral survey data in a digital format, the issues associatedwith such a change and the long term benefits it will provide to the surveying, mapping andland development industries.

Notions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) have been suggested to be consistent with an Islamic view of society. Indeed, values and principles that have been central to Islam since the time of the holy Prophet Mohammed (Peace and Blessings be upon him) may serve as a foundation for notions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) similar to those in the West. Much contemporary discussion of CSR, however, has not recognized this. These discussions have largely been based on a Western orientation informed by Western religious values. Moreover, CSR has evolved literally in response to particular issues or problems that are specific to businesses in a Western context. This led to a lack of a comprehensive global context within which a wider perspective of CSR should be positioned. On the other hand, the notion of social responsibility and justice has been an integral part of Islamic society for nearly 14 centuries. However, the Islamic literature remains scattered, fragmented and lacks a coherent framework that would allow such a concept in Islam to be systematized. While Islamic philosophy is rich in precepts pertinent to CSR, these precepts have not yet been formally synthesized to present a systematic model with an explicit notion of CSR in Islam. Thus, there exists a gap in both the Western and Islamic literature. This was fruitfully exploited in this study to advance the understanding of the concept of CSR in a wider cultural and religious setting. This study explored this new territory and presented a conceptual framework of CSR in Islam based on Shariah (the Islamic legal and social system) derived from the holy Qur'an and Hadith. It provided both, a counterpart and a comparable base in the study of various issues relevant to CSR and international business from a much wider global perspective. It also provided significant insights into Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh) regarding business practice. The consistency of the conceptual framework of CSR in Islam with contemporary business practices was explored using a survey of Islamic banks located in different parts of the world. The survey revealed that many current practices of Islamic banks mirror the expected behaviours or practices generated in the Islamic framework. In fact, it was possible to discern that the organizations surveyed implement the Islamic code of conduct rather extensively. Against this background, a consistency with the framework of CSR in Islam presented in this study was identified. Such consistency, however, was driven by legal requirements in adherence to Shariah rather than an explicit understanding or pursuit of CSR. The lack of a systematic framework with explicit notions of CSR from an Islamic perspective caused hindrance in implementing CSR practices in Islamic organizations. It follows that this study was a modest step towards filling this lacuna by presenting a systematic and coherent framework of CSR in Islam.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2007. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 169-177)

The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to examine upper secondary students’ attitudes towards historical feature films and documentaries as teaching materials in history education. A survey was cunducted with 133 students. The students were asked for advantages and disadvantages with films and documentaries, what knowledge they might gain from watching, and the films trustworthiness as a teaching aid. The result shows that the students generally are positive towards the usage of film in history education and consider films to be a good complement to other teaching methods, especially documentaries. They are considered more trustworthy than feature films, despite being regarded as a more tedious genre. On the other hand, both feature films and documentaries are said to increase an interest in history. The knowledge mentioned by the students are primarely factual knowledge. However, a few answers indicate that film also can help develop students historical literacy, visualise historical events, and time periods. Students’ trust for the feature films’ nar-rative and the documentaries’ objectivity are quite high. Paradoxically, the majority of the stu-dents claim to question whether the films’ content is historically correct or not.

Many researchers have examined religiosity, including measures of religiosity. However, researchers studying religiosity have often ignored behaviors associated with religion. The present research attempts to open up this area by constructing a measure of religiosity based completely on a study of overt behavior. The Behavioral Religiosity Inventory (BRI) determines which specific behaviors participants express as devotion to their religions and how much time they spend engaging in those religious activities. This measure of religiosity was constructed from responses given as part of focus groups, which provided valuable information about the daily religious life of college students. Three hundred ten college students were recruited and successfully completed all of the measures and requirements of this study, which included the BRI, and four other scales and demographic questions to validate the new measure. An exploratory factor analysis indicated that the BRI could assess three factors, Independent Activities, Ritualistic Traditional Activities, and Group Activities. Internal consistency was excellent for the overall survey, and the Independent and Group Activities factors. Finally, the validity coefficients comparing the BRI and the other measures of religiosity supported the validity of the BRI. The measure seemed to be well supported by all evidence.

As economic inequality in the United States continues to increase, the ways in which Americans cope with and conceptualize the issue itself as well as the disadvantaged groups affected by it has become increasingly salient features of their political attitudes. While important research has been done, particularly by Bartels (2009), showing that Americans share widespread consensus that economic inequality is a negative feature of American society and that Americans do not harbor any innate antipathy towards the poor, more work needs to be done to understand what activates Americans’ sympathy for the poor. This study, building on Burden and Klofstad’s (2005) assessment into the effects of cognitive and affective priming, seeks to understand how issue and subgroup framing alters political expression. I find that the use of the word “feel” in survey questions—as opposed to the word “think”—makes respondents more likely to hold poor subgroups less accountable for their economic circumstances. However, this differential outcome does not manifest when applied to policy-based questions. This indicates that invoking person- or group-based arguments along with affective signifiers shows the best promise for activating sympathy for the poor among Americans.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF BROOKE A LOPEMAN, for the Master of Science degree IN GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES, presented on JULY 6, 2011, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: CAMPUS RECYCLING - INFLUENCES AND DECISIONS MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Matthew Therrell The purpose of this study is to assess the factors that most influence decision making in regards to environmental programming on a university campus. The results of this study serve as a guide for campus administration when implementing future environmental programs. At most universities there is a large population living on campus, this creates the opportunity to encourage pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors of a large population. College, for many students, is the first time away from their family home and a time they can develop new attitudes and behaviors. This allows campus administrators the opportunity to influence students at a time in which they are developing new habits. It is important for campus administration to understand the factors that influence students' participation in environmental programs and how to influence students' long term attitudes and behaviors toward environmental concerns. This study determined which factors most strongly influence students to participate in the recycling program within their residence halls. The roles and attitudes of University Housing Staff toward current environmental programs were also assessed. Improved understanding of student participation and administrator roles can help support future environmental efforts on campus. Interviews with administrators showed that while administration may have a reasonable understanding of the factors that influence students to participate in recycling programs; this understanding does not extend to the actual programs that are being implemented. Of the students surveyed in this research, 100% responded that they thought there are improvements that should be made to increase recycling on campus. The factors that should most influence administrators in environmental decisions on campus were explored with student opinions of the current programs. The recycling research completed shows that both convenience and pro-environmental education are important influences on students' decisions to participate in recycling programs within their residence halls. The research shows that recycling increased by 50% with the addition of both convenience and pro-environmental education. Based on the increase in the amount of recycling per person in this study, the addition of these two components throughout the residence halls at Southern Illinois University could result in approximately 3,750 pounds of waste reduction per semester. While convenience has been shown to have an influence on recycling, e.g. Jennings (2004), this study focuses on the influence of pro-environmental education as well. Education is an important component that many environmental programs on campus are lacking.