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Social media platforms have become immensely popular over the years, leading to significant changes in cyberspace and the emergence of numerous challenges. These challenges have various faces, such as disinformation, online hate, cyberbullying, discrimination, biases, and other facets of harm. From the perspective of an end-user, the modern-age online ecosystem can be harmful in various ways, e.g., by consistently coming across disinformation in the online spaces or being targeted by a hate attack because of a specific ethnic or racial background. As we move forward, it is crucial to understand the nature and impact of new-age harms to make the Internet a safer place for everyone. To this end, my first contribution is the study of inauthentic accounts, also known as troll accounts. Troll accounts on social media are often sponsored by state actors aiming to manipulate public opinion on sensitive political topics. The strategy they commonly use is to interact with one another and appear innocuous to a regular user while covertly being used to spread toxic content and/or disinformation. I first study the effect that troll accounts have on online discussions on Reddit and show that state-sponsored troll accounts on Reddit produce threads that attract more toxic comments than other posts on the same subreddit. Next, I build TROLLMAGNIFIER, a detection system for troll accounts based on the observation that these accounts often exhibit loose coordination and interact with each other to advance specific narratives. TROLLMAGNIFIER learns the typical behavior of known troll accounts and identifies more that behave similarly. I show that using TROLLMAGNIFIER, one can grow the initial knowledge of potential trolls provided by Reddit by over 300%. Building upon the understanding of troll accounts and online campaigns, I then study the broader aspects of online disinformation. In this work, I study 19 influence campaigns on Twitter originating from various countries and identify several strategies adopted across different state actors, e.g., using scheduling services to delegate their posting tasks, utilizing fake third-party versions of popular applications (e.g., “Twitter for Android”) to post messages, extensively retweeting to push certain agendas, and posting innocuous messages (e.g., motivational quotes) to potentially avoid detection. Overall, I identify several universal traits among campaigns to create a cross-campaign detection system that can detect upto 94% accounts from unseen campaigns. Lastly, I delve deeper into the importance of cybersafety and study coordinated attacks, such as cyber-aggression and hate attacks, which are becoming increasingly common on video sharing networks like YouTube. Polarized online communities choose targets on prominent online platforms (e.g., YouTube) and organize their attacks by sending hateful messages to their target. The proposed system, TUBERAIDER, addresses this issue by automating the detection and attribution of attacks to their source communities, aiding in moderation, and understanding the motivations behind such actions. The system collects YouTube video links from diverse sources, including 4chan’s /pol/ board, r/The_Donald subreddit, and 16 incel subreddits. The attribution is performed through a machine learning classifier based on TF-IDF scores of important keywords and achieves an accuracy above 75% in attributing a coordinated attack to a given video. In summary, my research focuses on understanding, detecting, and combating online harms using a data-driven approach. I develop tools to mitigate the malicious behavior with the goal of offering policymakers guidelines to ensure user safety on social media platforms.

In 1989, a large suburban school district and a cluster of public service agencies initiated a pilot program to provide a multi-agency staffing to develop action plans for identified students. The purpose of this study was to describe the process that was involved in the establishment of this school-linked, integrated program. The research questions that guided data collection in this study were: (1) what was the impetus for initiating this interagency innovation and what resources were required? (2) who were the key players, how were they determined, and in what ways did they plan together to establish and implement this school-linked program? (3) in what ways was the initiation of the pilot program supported or impeded? (4) what is the status of the pilot program today? The case study approach, using qualitative methods of data collection, was used in order to answer these questions of process and understanding. Before data collection began, permission was obtained from the study school district to proceed. Interviews were conducted with selected individuals who participated in the planning or implementation of the program. Documents generated at the time of its establishment were also reviewed. Analysis involved the organization of data into coded categories followed by a search for themes and patterns to provide a detailed and rich description of the process. The findings of the study are presented chronologically within two phases, planning and implementation, with themes that emerged discussed within this framework. The results of this study add additional information to the body of research that describes the linking process, from vision to implementation, that occurs when a school district and community agencies work together to address children's needs. Conclusions from the study are presented as well as implications for future endeavors and recommendations for further research. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth explanation of the development of coordinated services during the last four years at a selected number of Project Success pilot sites, and to identify critical factors that emerged which are associated in the literature with effective school-linked strategies. The research questions guiding this study were: (1) What common elements developed that crossed all selected sites, and what individual differences emerged among the sites? (2) What organizational structure emerged among the multi-agencies at the selected sites? (3) What collaborative processes emerged across selected sites that facilitated the project? (4) In what ways did parents become involved in the implementation of the project? (5) What barriers or support were encountered in establishing and operating the sites? The data collection for this study occurred in three parts: individual interviews with the Project Coordinators, focus group interviews with appropriate representatives of the pilot site projects, and notes from meetings of the Local Governing Board. A questionnaire that consisted of seven questions was used to collect data for this study. Materials gathered during in-depth interviews were transcribed and analyzed after the interviews were completed. First, the researcher read the transcribed interviews and hand coded the consistencies and emerging themes on a large chart. Second, a matrix was made of the hand coded data using a word processor. Third, the researcher used the Ethnograph Computer Software Program to organize and code the data. From this data, the researcher identified themes, common patterns, and important stories shared by the participants regarding their experiences with developing coordinated services to meet the needs of children and families during the last four years. A narrative summary was written for each selected pilot site. Recommendations for further research are provided at the conclusion of chapter five. / Ed. D.

This thesis proposes an advanced architecting methodology. This methodology allows for the sizing and optimization of aircraft system architecture concepts and the establishment of subsystem development strategies. The process is implemented by an architecting team composed of subsystem experts and architects. The methodology organizes the architecture definition using the SysML language. Using meta-modeling techniques, this definition is translated into an analysis model which automatically integrates subsystem analyses in a fashion that represents the specific architecture concept described by the team. The resulting analysis automatically sizes the subsystems composing it, synthesizes their information to derive architecture-level performance and explores the architecture internal trade-offs. This process is facilitated using the Coordinated Optimization method proposed in this dissertation. This method proposes a multi-level optimization setup. An architecture-level optimizer orchestrates the subsystem sizing optimizations in order to optimize the aircraft as whole. The methodologies proposed in this thesis are tested and demonstrated on a proof of concept based on the exploration of turbo-electric propulsion aircraft concepts.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / This paper describes the current internationally recognized atomic time scales of International Atomic Time (TAI), Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and Global Positioning System (GPS) Time as well as solar based Universal Time. The concept of Leap Seconds and the differences between the time scales are discussed. A brief history of the international agreements that created organizations responsible for maintaining these time scales is provided. A brief review of the GPS 1999 (Week Number Roll Over) WNRO with its potential GPS user problems is provided. Prudent personal precautions are proposed for the Year 2000 (Y2K) Rollover.

This thesis is concerned with what pervasive risk management is, and how it can be achieved in practice. Specifically, it examines the effect of social processes and cultural factors on how risk management can be coordinated across and embedded within business processes and organisational culture. A growing literature addresses what is termed risk management maturity: the capability of an organisation to assess, manage, communicate and govern risk (and opportunity). Notwithstanding its benefits, the emphasis of this literature on risk management benchmarking and standardisation has led, arguably, to a bureaucratisation of risk management process. Research followed a case study strategy and data were gathered through semi-structured interviews. A total of 43 interviews were conducted in one private and one public sector organisation. The findings describe a number of social processes and related cultural factors that significantly affected risk management pervasiveness in the two organisations. (1) Shared experience and respect for experience facilitated flexible coordination between operational and strategic risk management. (2) Informal, lateral communication integrated the knowledge of diverse stakeholders required to manage complex environmental risks. (3) Lack of common understanding of the purpose and function of risk management undermined coordination of risk management practice. These findings progress the debate on the balance between standardisation and informal social process to achieve pervasive risk management, and contribute to a richer description of organisational risk management maturity. The findings are of value to risk managers wishing to embed the adaptive and coordinated risk management required in dynamic and complex environments

Region Östergötland are responsible for deliveries of consumable goods to hospitals, health centres, public dental clinics and other customers in Östergötland county. Today, this is done through two different material flows. These are the inner and the outer material flows. Deliveries from the inner material flow pass through a central warehouse located in Norrköping, before they are delivered to customers, whereas deliveries in the outer material flow are delivered straight from an external supplier to the customer. Today, Region Östergötland wants to gain a better control over the material flow of consumable goods. They also want to investigate how a more coordinated freight distribution, and therefore a greater inner material flow, would affect their own business, seen from a holistic perspective.  The purpose of this study was to investigate how the handling of goods, the delivery service and the total cost of ownership would be affected by a more coordinated freight distribution of consumable goods to the health care system within Region Östergötland. This to provide a basis for future decision making regarding the material flow of consumable goods. The conclusions drawn are mainly based on the empirical studies that were carried out during the study. The empirical studies were collected in various ways and were of qualitative, as well as quantitative, nature. Interviews were conducted with employees from Region Östergötland as well as with employees from some contracted companies. Delivery protocols, as well as surveys, were handed out to and answered by customers in the health care system. Data from Region Östergötland’s enterprise resource planning systems, as well as contracts, were also examined. The reports frame of reference, mainly based on literature studies, have also been an important part in the analysis that was executed. In general, it can be concluded that it is difficult to draw any conclusions about how handling of goods, delivery service and total cost of ownership would be affected by the implementation of a more coordinated freight distribution. Regarding the handling of goods, it is believed that the time spent handling goods will be reduced and that the amount of storage needed will increase, within the boundaries of the studied system. Since the information regarding delivery service in the outer flow is very limited, it is hard to draw any conclusions regarding the potential future changes to the delivery service with a greater inner flow.  The results of the total cost of ownership analysis indicates decreased costs. However, the different elements of the model cannot be compared to one another, and since the model is based on qualitative reasoning and empirical studies collected during the course of two weeks, the results must be viewed with caution. In conclusion, the study indicates that a more coordinated freight distribution could be a good idea. However, this should be investigated further, and data should be collected during a longer period of time. Furthermore, tangible plans for what a more coordinated freight distribution would look like in Region Östergötland, should be designed. / Region Östergötland ansvarar för leveranser av förbrukningsmaterial till sjukhus, vårdcentraler, folktandvårdskliniker och övriga kunder i regionen. Detta sker i nuläget genom två olika material-flöden, det inre respektive det yttre flödet. Leveranser från det inre flödet levereras till kund via det centrallager som ligger i Norrköping medan leveranser i det yttre flödet går direkt från extern leverantör till kund. Regionen vill idag få en bättre kontroll över flödet av förbrukningsmaterial och vill undersöka hur en mer samordnad varudistribution, och därmed ett ökat inre flöde, skulle påverka verksamheten sett ur ett helhetsperspektiv.  Syftet med detta arbete var således att studera hur hantering, leveransservice och totalkostnad skulle komma att påverkas vid införandet av en mer samordnad varudistribution av förbrukningsmaterial till vården i Region Östergötland. Detta för att ge beslutsunderlag för framtida beslut om materialförsörjningen inom regionen. De slutsatser som dragits bygger till stor del på den empiri som samlats in under arbetets gång. Empirin har samlats in på flera olika sätt och har varit både kvalitativ och kvantitativ. Intervjuer har genomförts med regionens anställda likväl som med anställda på några av de företag regionen har skrivna avtal med. Vidare så har både leveransprotokoll och enkäter skickats ut till regionens kunder och data från regionens affärssystem och nuvarande avtal har granskats. Rapportens referensram, till stor del baserad på litteraturstudier, har även den varit en viktig del i den analys som genomförts. Generellt kan det konstateras att det är svårt att dra slutsatser kring hur hantering, leveransservice och totalkostnad kommer att påverkas av en i större grad samordnad varudistribution. Hanterings-mässigt tros tid kunna sparas in sett ur ett helhetsperspektiv medan mer utrymme troligtvis kommer att krävas. Då informationen kring leveransservicen i det yttre flödet är väldigt knapphändig är det svårt att dra slutsatser kring hur leveransservicen ut till kund skulle påverkas av en potentiell förändring. Sett till genomförd totalkostnadsanalys indikeras minskade kostnader, men då de olika totalkostnadselementen är svåra att jämföra med varandra och då resultaten till stor del bygger på kvalitativa resonemang och empiri insamlad under två veckor bör resultaten beaktas med försiktighet. Sammanfattningsvis tyder studien på att en mer samordnad varudistribution skulle kunna vara en god idé. Detta bör dock undersökas närmre och data samlas in under en längre tidsperiod. Vidare bör konkreta planer utformas för hur en samordnad varudistribution skulle se ut i regionen.

Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the absence of an actual sound stimulus. Recent developments have shifted the focus to the central nervous system and the neural correlate of tinnitus. Broadly, tinnitus involves cortical map rearrangement, pathological neural synchrony, and increased spontaneous firing rates. Various cortical regions, such as Heschl’s gyrus in the auditory cortex, have been found to be associated with different aspects of tinnitus, such as perception and loudness. I propose a cortical stimulation mapping study of Heschl’s gyrus using a depth and subdural electrode montage to conduct electrocorticography. This study would provide high-resolution data on abnormal frequency band oscillations characteristic of tinnitus and pinpoint regions where they occur. The validity of the neural synchrony model would also be tested in this study.

This study explored how being enrolled in a program that both coordinates patient care and provides a medical home changes health care utilization for uninsured patients, more specifically those persons with chronic conditions, through the use of the Chronic Care Model and Andersen and Aday’s Behavioral Model for Access to Health Care. Uninsured patients typically seek out care in a fragmented manner, which may lead to ineffective and inefficient care, especially for conditions that may require ongoing treatment and monitoring such as chronic conditions. The methodology used to examine the relationship between the interaction of enrollment and chronic condition status and health care utilization was multivariate linear regression. The results of this study show that enrollment in a coordinated care program does have an impact on health care utilization, and that the impact differs for patients with no chronic conditions, a single chronic condition, and multiple chronic conditions. These results point to the effectiveness of implementing the Chronic Care Model to improve access to health care for patients with chronic conditions.