A graph is diameter-2-critical if its diameter is two and the deletion of any edge increases the diameter. Let G be a diameter-2-critical graph of order n. Murty and Simon conjectured that the number of edges in G is at most ⌊n 2/4⌋ and that the extremal graphs are the complete bipartite graphs K ⌊n/2⌋,⌊n/2⌉. Fan [Discrete Math. 67 (1987), 235-240] proved the conjecture for n ≤ 24 and for n = 26, while Füredi [J. Graph Theory 16 (1992), 81-98] proved the conjecture for n > n 0 where n 0 is a tower of 2's of height about 1014. The conjecture has yet to be proven for other values of n. Let Δ denote the maximum degree of G. We prove the following maximum degree theorems for diameter-2-critical graphs. If Δ ≥ 0.7 n, then the Murty-Simon Conjecture is true. If n ≥ 2000 and Δ ≥ 0.6789 n, then the Murty-Simon Conjecture is true.

A graph G is diameter-2-critical if its diameter is two and the deletion of any edge increases the diameter. The complete graph on four vertices minus one edge is called a diamond, and a diamond-free graph has no induced diamond subgraph. In this paper we use an association with total domination to characterize the diameter-2-critical graphs whose complements are diamond-free. Murty and Simon conjectured that the number of edges in a diameter-2-critical graph G of order n is at most ⌊ n24⌋ and that the extremal graphs are the complete bipartite graphs K⌊ n2⌋n2⌉. As a consequence of our characterization, we prove the Murty-Simon conjecture for graphs whose complements are diamond-free.

This is a qualitative research study that investigated the understanding of the concept of “critical consciousness” by female teachers teaching Arabic in Saudi Arabia’s high schools, the opportunity they have to develop critical consciousness, and how and why they develop it. The researcher engaged in semi-structured interviews with 25 female teachers who have at least nine years teaching experiences. The findings revealed that these teachers: (a) have a collective sense of the importance of critical consciousness skills to better themselves and Saudi Arabian society; (b) they are interested in and motivated to develop their critical thinking skills; (c) they develop critical consciousness in informal ways; and (d) the teaching practice in Saudi Arabia mostly relies on “banking education.” This is an unprecedented study in the field of students’ critical consciousness development in Saudi Arabia. The results have a number of important implications for future work and research in Saudi Arabia, as well as in neighboring countries that share similar complications related to the role and status of women in society.

This critical race qualitative research study examines the perspectives of Chicanas\os regarding their educational experiences. Critical race theory in education has been critical in the effort to bring a deeper understanding of the racism that is experienced in American schools by Chicanas\os and other children of color. This study examines the intersectionality of American education; the Chicana\o social, political and historical experiences; and racism.This study is informed by theoretical frames from the disciplines of critical race theory, Latino critical race theory and their educational implications, new racism, Chicana/o authentic caring, and critical pedagogy. These theories expose inequality and injustice that adhere in American schools, and they help me understand that Chicana/o students, their parents and their communities are constructors of knowledge and facilitators of critical transformation.The study triangulates qualitative data through two critical components: interviews and an archival evaluation of the academic impact of the Social Justice Education Project and its Critically Compassionate Intellectualism (CCI) model of transformative education. The interview component consists of one open-ended focus group interview and one open-ended interview. In the archival segment, I evaluate informal open-ended student interviews, end of the year progress reports, post-program surveys, and achievement and graduation data.These data indicate that racism remains a key variable within the educational experiences of Chicanas\os students in SUSD schools. Additional findings indicate that the student cohorts that participate in the Social Justice Education Project and experience the CCI model of transformative education have a higher AIMS pass rate and higher graduation rates than those students cohorts that do not experience both the Social Justice Education Project and its CCI model.Given these findings, the study proposes that educational leaders demonstrate the political will that is needed to discover and implement multiple forms of critical transformative educational praxis. In addition, the need for more research that centers the voices of students and that focuses on racism and the Chicana\o contemporary experience.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tennessee Technological University, 2007. / Bibliography: leaves 49-55.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1947. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 205-210).

This one-semester pretest-posttest case study of 3rd and 5th year female preservice teachers at the University of Victoria in British Columbia (N = 8) involved teaching for critical thinking and an evaluative view of knowledge in elementary social studies. Philosophical and psychological perspectives of critical thinking provided an evaluative view of knowledge, intellectual resources, and cognitive tasks for responses to critical challenges about belief and action (Bailin, Case, Coombs, & Daniels, 1993; Facione, 1991; Siegel, 1992). This integrated conception of critical thinking guided instruction, instrument selection, and interpretation of qualitative evidence. Instruction utilized an interactive constructive approach that involved social and pedagogical challenges appropriate to adults students but related to the elementary social studies curriculum. Multiple measures of critical thinking dispositions, view of knowledge, and argument proficiency revealed moderate dispositional strength toward critical thinking, mixed views of knowledge, mixed argument proficiency, and small positive gains over the duration of instruction. Pretest-posttest measures included Facione and Facione's (1992) California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI), Kuhn's (1991) interview protocol for view of knowledge and argument proficiency, and a written argument paralleled the posttest interview evidence. Most changes aligned with the nature of instruction and instrumentation. CCTDI entry-level results were aligned with results reported for samples from other college and university studies whereas exit-level results displayed more positive change than reported in other studies. Posttest views of knowledge were mixed (evaluativists = 4, multiplists = 1, absolutists = 3), largely consistent with the pretest, and exhibited more evaluativism than reported in other studies. Proficiency in argument was somewhat less than found in other studies, but increased slightly, particularly the generation of alternative theories over the duration of the study. Compared with interviews, written arguments revealed stronger rebuttals and somewhat weaker use of evidence. Inconsistencies across qualitative results and formal results aligned with the nature of the instruction, assessment tasks, evaluation criteria, and some problematic aspects of instrumentation. Participants stated that interactive constructivism; justification of ideas against explicit criteria, an early emphasis on developing a rationale for teaching to an evaluative view of knowledge; the use of examples, non-examples, and borderline examples to generate criteria for key ideas; and instructor-student interaction to monitor and adjust instruction to maximize clarity were positive features of instruction. An excessive concept load and inadequate compatible prior learning experiences were identified as impediments to clarity. / Graduate

The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge of critical care nurses regarding forensic and liability issues in the critical care environment in order to design an education programme on the topic. A quantitative, descriptive, contextual research design was used and convenience sampling implemented. A survey, using a questionnaire as measuring instrument, was conducted among critical care nurses in selected private hospitals in South Africa. The response rate was 85%. Validity and reliability of the research was ensured. The total average percentage achieved by the group of 171 respondents was 38.46%, which was 21.54% below the set competency indicator of 60%. Only nine respondents achieved a percentage of or above 60%. Results proved that the respondents required intensive training on the topic. The outline of an education programme to address knowledge deficiencies regarding forensic and liability issues in the critical care environment was presented in PowerPoint presentation format. / Dissertation (MCur (Clinical))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Nursing Science / MCur / unrestricted

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe critical care nurses knowledge and experience regarding the acutely confused elderly. A questionnaire, developed by the investigator, was mailed to two hundred nurses who were members of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). The questionnaire consisted of three parts; a case study and questions assessing the respondents' knowledge of acute confusion, questions about the respondents' past personal experiences with the elderly, and a section on demographics. The response rate was 45%. The essential findings were: 1) the mean score on the knowledge items was 60% correct 2) ICU nurses had limited personal experiences with confused elderly people 3) neither level of education nor years of nursing experience affected how well the respondents did on the knowledge items 4) ICU nurses tended to attribute the cause of acute confusion in an elderly patient to ICU psychosis. Further research needs to be done on the etiology and characteristics of acute confusion and on nursing actions and interventions concerning the acutely confused elderly patient. The concept of ICU psychosis needs to be further explored. / 2031-01-01

Critical illness can lead to profound physical morbidity that persists for years post-intensive care unit (ICU) discharge. Rehabilitation started in ICU can mitigate morbidity and improve outcomes, however, there are gaps in existing research. This thesis includes manuscripts addressing three areas: primary research reporting, patient-reported outcome measures (PROM), and research intervention implementation. The first manuscript was a scoping review of ICU rehabilitation interventions. Previous systematic reviews assessed the effectiveness of ICU rehabilitation to improve functional outcomes, and identified conflicting results and deficiencies in study reporting. I conducted a scoping review to describe the types, amounts, and reporting of rehabilitation interventions in ICU studies. I identified 117 prospective ICU rehabilitation studies from database inception to 2016 and assessed the completeness of study and intervention reporting using standardized reporting guidelines. Results identified adequate overall study reporting, however important reporting deficiencies in intervention and control groups, limiting future trial development and clinical implementation. The second manuscript evaluated the psychometrics of the Patient-Reported Functional Scale-ICU (PRFS-ICU) – a new PROM for ICU survivors in acute care. I demonstrated the PRFS-ICU was feasible, reliable, responsive, and valid in medical-surgical ICU patients able to follow commands. Results suggest the PRFS-ICU warrants future research and may be useful to assess and monitor patient perceptions of their functioning over time. The final manuscript was a self-administered electronic survey of frontline therapists, assessing barriers and facilitators to implementing a novel rehabilitation intervention in the context of research. Respondents implementing CYCLE, a trial of in-bed cycling with mechanically ventilated patients, identified two primary barriers to implementing the protocol: time required to conduct the protocol and concerns for provision of equitable service to all patients on their caseload. Together these manuscripts provide an important foundation to guide development, implementation, and evaluation of future ICU rehabilitation trials. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Critical illness requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission can lead to physical disability lasting years post-ICU. Exercises started in ICU can reduce disability. However there are important gaps in the research addressed by my thesis: 1) Summaries of studies found different results on the effects of exercise on disability, and details of exercises were sparse. I reviewed over 3 decades of exercise research for ICU patients and determined reporting must improve; 2) ICU patients had no standard way to report their own level of movement in hospital. I evaluated a measure, which may be useful to assess how patients think they are functioning; 3) ICU therapists reported challenges delivering exercises to patients in research studies. I conducted a survey and learned therapists needed more time to provide these exercises. My findings can inform future ICU exercise studies, assess how patients feel they are functioning, and optimize exercise delivery.