Improving the role the nurse plays in health care delivery should be embodied in the performance improvement initiatives to successfully improve the quality of care that is delivered. The purpose of this evidence-based practice project was to collect performance improvement data and present it to staff who, in turn, used the information to improve practice and influence patient safety outcomes. The practice-focused question addressed what would occur if a tool that allowed frequent data trending was used to measure effectiveness of care and thereby influence key outcome measures. Duffy's quality caring model provided a framework for the study to support the need for the development of a dashboard for staff and to ensure that staff were informed as they developed interventions to improve patient outcomes. Publicly available data published by the Centers for Medicare/ Medicaid (CMS) for the Quality Star Report were explored to inform the project. Workgroups, comprised of volunteers from leadership and staff providing care at the bedside, were formed to implement practice changes based on the dashboard reports. By bringing the data to the attention of nurses within the organization, improvements were made in the overall score for safety of care from below national average (25th percentile of the reported 3,647 hospitals across the nation) to the same as national average (47th percentile) as reported by CMS. Through staff involvement, social change occurred as strategies were hardwired to improve categories of the Quality Star Report and ultimately patient care. The project showed that quality improvement tools can assist in empowering staff to understand the data needed to implement process improvement strategies.

過去的研究以學童的解題表現為基礎，用「等化」或「配對」的觀點來說明學童如何理解比較問題(Carpente & Moser, 1984; Fuson, Carroll & Landis, 1996; Nesher, Greeno & Riley, 1982)。本研究認為解讀比較問題關係句的方式應有「配對」、「向被比較量等化」與「向參照量等化」，研究旨在探討此三種理解方式的發展順序與整合歷程，亦即，學童何時能以某一方式理解關係句以及何時能彈性運用不同方式來理解同一關係句。 本研究的作業是在題本中呈現與「配對」、「向被比較量等化」及「向參照量等化」理解方式一致的算式（有的為標準算式與有的為開放算式），要求學童作出算式與題意是否一樣的是非判斷：題本中每一比較問題下有三個算式，有的算式正確表徵題意，有的則與題意不符。如此，當學童能以某一種理解方式來了解題意時，即使該理解方式不是學童偏好的，學童仍能在看到與此理解方式一致的算式時作出“是”的判斷。 本研究對563位二下到四上學童進行團體施測，結果顯示，年級時段對學童的表現不十分顯著，在算式形式方面，未發現某一算式形式在三類問題類型上都傾向被判斷符合題意。除了參照量未知題外，學童在各比較問題上，比起其他算式，都較傾向判斷正確標準算式與題意相符。在差異量未知題上「配對算式」恰為標準算式，在被比較量未知題上「同被比較量等化算式」恰為標準算式，在參照量未知題上「向參照量等化算式」恰為標準算式，以正確標準算式為判斷對象時，整體而言，學童在差異量未知題的表現最好，其次為被比較量未知題，參照量未知題則較差。 在未知數性質相同的問題上，以標準算式為判斷對象時，學童傾向判斷運算符號為"減號"的算式與題意相符。在被比較量未知題與參照量未知題上，標準算式運算符號與關係句描述的方式一致時，易被判斷符合題意。在同類問題下，以正確開放算式為判斷對象時，若開放算式與標準算式彼此表徵的關係互為"子集合對調"關係，較易被判斷符合題意；若開放算式與標準算式彼此表徵的關係互為"加減五逆"關係，則較不易被判斷符合題意。在整體的算式判斷作業表現上，同一文字題下的兩正確算式互為"子集合對調"關係時，學童反應的一致性較高，同一文字題下的兩正確算式互為"加減互逆"關係時，學童反應的一致性較低。 推論「配對」方式發展最早，其次為「同被比較量等化」方式，「向參照量等化」方式則較晚發展。學童的「配對」方式因應差異量未知題形成特殊的"減法策略"，並將此策略過度類化到其他問題類型上；部分學童似乎發展出特殊的「向被比較量等化」方式並因應被比較量未知題，將關係句的描述方式與運算方式間形成連結，且將此連結方式過度類化於參照量未知題。直到四上為止，學童發展的理解方式都仍未一般化，僅適用於特定的問題情境，而不能以同一方式掌握所有比較情境中的數量關係。同時，學童缺乏以不同觀點來理解同一比較問題的能力，這可能是因為學童未能成熟運用「部分－部分－整體」基模來掌握數量間的關係，而使得理解方式之間缺乏相互轉換的彈性。

This research aims to investigate the development of the Sepedi detective story, and to classify existing works into appropriate sub-genres. The study will use the methods of comparison, grouping, description and interpretation. The growth and development of the Sepedi detective story from 1951 to 1998 is discussed and the influence of Ramaila’s short stories from the collection Molomatsebe (1951) on other Sepedi detective stories shown. Various problems are examined, including (a) the scarcity of Sepedi detective stories as compared to the number of stories in European languages, and (b) the classification principles suitable for determining the different sub-genres. The study uses a narratological approach, which examines texts focusing on three levels, namely content, structure (plot) and style. This study pays particular attention to the first two levels, though the last level, style, is discussed briefly in the closing chapter. In the investigation the definitions of a detective story formulated by various literary theorists are discussed, and the challenge of classifying detective stories into sub-genres examined. The most important classification systems found in the literature are those formulated by Boileau and Narçejac, Groenewald, and Dresden and Vestdijk. The classification approach used in this study is based on the characteristic features that distinguish a detective story from other genres. The most important characteristic of the detective story is mystery. The concept of mystery is therefore explained in detail, and various sub-genres classified according to the presence of one (occasionally more) of the following elements: (a) the real character of the detective is a mystery, (b) the name of the criminal is a mystery, (c) the name of the victim is a mystery, (d) the evidence that reveals the mystery at the end, and (e) the investigation that reveals the mystery. The different narrative techniques that authors can use to keep the mystery concealed so as to arouse the readers’ interest are explored. Methods to build tension and suspense in a narrative are also investigated. Lately some researchers of Sepedi detective stories have encountered problems in dealing with works that have both mystery and romantic sub-plots. This research study therefore mentions the difference between a detective story and a love story. It is not unusual for a detective story author to bring love affairs into the narrative, because these can be used to relieve tension. In the closing chapter, short remarks are made about the third layer of the text, namely style. Dresden and Vestdijk’s arguments concerning style are taken as the basis for these remarks. They discuss a curious characteristic of detective plots. This is that, though emotional and disturbing acts such as murder or rape are central to a detective story, the mystery surrounding these acts in the plot of the story turns the story into a puzzle rather like a mathematical problem, which is gradually solved as the plot progresses, with the result that the criminal is not viewed negatively. Whether or not he/she is punished is not a central issue; sometimes the criminal even escapes punishment through committing suicide. Death in this type of story has no meaning. This emotional independence is what forms the basis of the detective author’s style. / Thesis (DLitt ( African Languages))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / African Languages / unrestricted

The subject of this work is a proposal of foundation, followed by an assessment for a production hall. Options will be discussed and compared against each other. The premises are situated in an area where great layers of gravel are found. A project of foundations founding will be performed according to Eurocode 7. Designing of geotechnical constructions which are based on given characteristic of presented soils. As a part of this work also is an appropriate drawing documentation.

The objective of this Diploma Thesis is to benchmark prices of preselected types of flats in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Main aim of this exercise is to examine the pricing rules in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Other area of focus is to set prices for selected prices of flats in the suburb and in the city center of Brno and Bratislava and compare them with each other. Analyze which factors affect prices and how they differ from each other.

Partial circuit replication is a soft error mitigation technique that uses redundant copies of a circuit to mask or detect the effects of soft errors. By masking or detecting the effect of soft errors on SRAM-based FPGAs, implemented circuits can be made more reliable. The technique is applied selectively, to only a portion of the components within a circuit. Partial application lowers the cost of implementation. The objective of partial circuit replication is to provide maximal benefit at limited or minimized cost. The greatest challenge of partial circuit replication is selecting which components within a circuit to replicate. This dissertation advances the state of the art in the effective use of partial circuit replication for masking and detecting soft errors in SRAM-based FPGAs. It provides a theoretical foundation in which the expected benefits and challenges of partial circuit replication can be understood. It proposes several new selection approaches for identifying the most beneficial areas of a circuit to replicate. These approaches are applied to two complex FPGA-based computer networking systems and another FPGA design. The effectiveness of the selection approaches are evaluated through fault injection and accelerated radiation testing. More benefit than expected is obtained through partial circuit replication when applied to critical components and sub-regions of the designs. In one example, in an open-source computer networking design, partial circuit replication masks and detects approximately 70% of failures while replicating only 5% of circuit components, a benefit-cost ratio of 14.0.

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