The purpose and content of this work are to explore the proper strategy on how to deploy multi-service mobile net centric warfare, or FORCEnet, the Navy's concept for Net Centric Warfare. In this research, the author examined where the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) fits into this vision and how it is mobile and multi-service compatible. It also explored how low-cost commercial approaches such as IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network technologies can be implemented as a joint notion of Net Centric Warfare in terms of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). The problem investigated in this study was to evaluate what cost savings and/or efficiencies were achieved by organizing and transitioning from a traditional network operation center to a managed services operation in the development of a wireless local area network (LAN) in a military setting. The military needs a road map on how to deploy wireless networks in a secure, supportable, and usable fashion that is in concert with the core mission of the military business requirements, i.e., a service oriented architecture. The research took place at several naval bases in San Diego. The methodology included the "case study," as described by Robert Yin (2003), and the systems development life cycle (SDLC). The expectation of the researcher in this study is the development of a managed services operation in the creation of a wireless LAN on a military base.

Water managers must balance the need for clean and safe drinking water with ever-increasing amounts of waste-water. A technique for treating and storing surface water called “managed aquifer recharge” (MAR) is frequently used to help maintain this balance. When MAR is used to produce drinking water, water managers must ensure that disease-causing microbial contaminants are removed from the water prior to its distribution. This thesis examined the processes responsible for removing a specific class of microbial contaminants called “enteric viruses” during MAR. Viruses are naturally removed in groundwater through adsorption and inactivation mechanisms. This thesis investigated how these virus removal mechanisms were affected by ionic strength (IS), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and the age of the sand used in a MAR infiltration basin. This was done using batch and flow-through column experiments designed to mimic conditions characteristic of a basin infiltration MAR scheme in Uppsala, Sweden. Bacteriophage MS2 was used as a proxy for enteric viruses. All of the experiments were conducted at 4°C. Experimental data were modeled to describe the fate and transport of viruses in the infiltrated groundwater. Conventional least-squares optimization and generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) were compared as model fitting-approaches in order to determine how data uncertainty affects parameter estimates and model predictions. Results showed that the sand used in the infiltration basins accumulates adsorbed organic matter as it is exposed to infiltrating surface waters. This reduced the amount of MS2 that was removed due to adsorption and inactivation. Results from GLUE indicated that MS2 is more likely to inactivate in a time-dependent manner when in the presence of sand with high concentrations of organic matter. Both model fitting techniques indicated that virus attachment rates were significantly lower for sand with high organic carbon content. Neither methodology was capable of adequately capturing the kinetics of virus adsorption. Uncertainties in the experimental data had a large effect on the conclusions that could be drawn from fitted models. This study showed that the presence of natural organic matter reduces the value of the infiltration basin as a microbial barrier.

Angiotensin II inhibitors or Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARB s) are the most recent addition to the suite of antihypertensives. They are also one of the most expensive of the drug classes. Since the introduction of the first ARB on the market, the merits of ARB s have been investigated. The mechanism of action and indications are similar to ACE inhibitors thus comparisons have been done between the two classes to ascertain if there are any added benefits in using ARB s. This study was an analysis of out of hospital chronic medication claims from a managed care organisation in South Africa to view the utilisation pattern of ARB s and to establish if there were any indications for the choice of this specific drug class for the conditions hypertension and heart failure.. A managed care organisation aims to provide clinically appropriate and cost effective medication to its members. It is therefore important to investigate if there are any reasons for a more expensive drug to be used if there is a more cost effective alternative available. The medication claims for ARB s were investigated, in relation to ACE inhibitors to try and establish if there were any specific reasons for the use of ARB s. From the results obtained, it was evident that ACE inhibitors and ARB s were widely used within the managed care organisation and made up a high percentage of the amount spent on antihypertensive drugs. The gender utilisation patterns showed that more males used ACE inhibitors and ARB s for both hypertension and heart failure, although there were more females registered for these conditions within the organisation. The incidence of hypertension and heart failure was more prevalent in the over 45 year old age group and the use of these antihypertensive medications mirrored this. ARB s were the most expensive class of drugs used for hypertension and heart failure, and there was no reason found to support the specific use of these agents.

This study explores the narratives of individuals who have overcome an addiction without formal treatment through a process of self-managed change. The research was conducted from a qualitative perspective that was grounded in social constructionist methodology. Six individuals were interviewed and the transcripts formed the texts for analysis. The analysis is divided into two sections. The first section looks at narrative as genre and content. It explores the type of narrative genres utilized by participants and looks at the spheres of meaning within the content of their narratives. The second section of the analysis looks at narrative as social construction and action. It explores participants’ constructions of addiction, formal treatment and recovery and it examines the way language is used to distance construction of self in the past from constructions of self in the present. Furthermore, the analysis observes the narratives as social actions embedded in social worlds, raising awareness of the stream of power that flows within the storytelling. The narratives collected in this study illustrate that overcoming addiction without formal treatment through a process of self-managed change is possible. They demonstrate the power that individuals can have over the substances to which they become addicted. They challenge the presuppositions that formal treatment is necessary. This study thus seeks to mobilize resistance against the dominant narratives of addiction in society. By contesting these narratives within the social world, this research aims to open up a space for previously marginalized voices to be heard. Investigation indicates that this is most likely the first study on overcoming addiction without formal treatment conducted in South Africa. It is significant therefore in that it serves to break a silence.

Much of the literature surrounding virtual health communities highlights the factors critical to their success such as availability to medical resources, efficiency of being able to access medical practitioners and the ability to access a supporting network of patients with similar medical conditions. There is however little research which establishes whether South African health consumers are ready for a virtual health community and whether health consumers will be encouraged to participate in these virtual communities to achieve greater levels of self managed health. This study addresses that question. The research was grounded in literature from the Health Belief Model (HBM) and Technology Readiness (TR) and Trust. A research model was developed, which hypothesized the effects of perceived benefits, perceived severity, cues to action, self-efficacy, confidence, trust and technology readiness attributes on health consumers’ intentions to participate in a virtual health community. To test the research model, the study adopted a quantitative research design and collected data using an online structured questionnaire. The sampling frame for this study was a convenience sample of health consumers in South Africa. Ninety-nine useable responses were received. Results from multiple regression analysis showed that perceived benefits, cues to action, self efficacy and trust were good predictors of the attitude towards virtual health communities as well as intentions to participate in such communities. An important part of the study was exploring differences between health consumers with chronic conditions and those without. The study is important for medical professionals, government and pharmaceutical companies, as it provides valuable information on the extent to which South African health consumers are ready for a virtual medical community. It also identifies the factors influencing user’s intentions towards the use of the virtual health community and provides significant empirical evidence for the HBM and TR literatures.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Background. The prevalence of alcohol dependence, defined as being physically and psychologically dependent on alcohol, among homeless people is 8%-58% compared to 4%-16% of alcohol dependence prevalence in the general population. Homelessness also contributes to alcohol dependence, and alcohol dependence is more difficult to treat and manage when combined with homelessness and alcohol-related harms. Alcohol harm reduction strategies for those with severe alcohol dependence and experiencing homelessness are gaining traction. There are 22 Managed Alcohol Programs (MAPs) in several cities across Canada. MAPs can reduce harms for people with severe alcohol dependence who live with acute, chronic, and social harms. In this research, I report on MAP participants views in the first six months of being in a MAP to provide insights into implementation of MAPs. Research Question. My central research question was: What are MAP participants perspectives of MAP during the early period of transition into MAP? With an objective to understand implementation from participants perspectives, I specifically asked: How are MAP participants situated in the world, what are their experiences, and what are the relational shifts that occur during early transition into MAP? Methodology and Theoretical Perspective. In my research, I used interpretive description informed by constructivism. I drew on relational theory to interpret my findings. The use of interpretive description, informed by constructivism and relational theory, brought forth greater insight into MAP participants views of and subsequent shifts in their relationships with the environment, alcohol, themselves, and others before and during MAP. Results/Findings. Participants perspectives focused on four key findings: (a) participants shifting perspectives of non-beverage alcohol when beverage alcohol was available in MAP, (b) participants motivation to change and insights into their own drinking, (c) reasons for drinking outside of MAP, and (d) relational insights and shifts in their connections with others. Conclusions. For individuals experiencing homelessness and severe alcohol dependence and its inherent associated harms, MAPs help to support relational shifts that support safer drinking patterns and/or meaningfully interrupt cycles of uncontrolled drinking as well as help to re-establish new relationships with alcohol, themselves, family, and friends. / Graduate

Key drivers for care coordination programs may include reducing inflated health care cost and improving the quality of care for high-risk populations. However, health care leaders lack methods to support financial investment in care coordination programs. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies that health care leaders use to improve corporate financial investment in care coordination programs that include the triple aim of reducing cost, improving population health, and increasing patient satisfaction. The triple aim model provided the conceptual framework for the study in which 6 health care leaders from Southern California with experience garnering financial support for care coordination programs were interviewed. Data from semistructured interviews were analyzed and compared with company documents to establish methodological triangulation. The 4 themes that emerged included reflecting a reduction in health care cost; focusing on high-need, high-cost populations; partnering with primary care practices; and providing patient-centered care. The implications for positive social change included the potential to provide health care leaders the tools needed to garner financial investment in care coordination programs that improve population health and influence the health of high-risk populations.

This study focused on the relationship between school-based management, student outcomes and school performance. Its purpose was to identify the conditions that exist in self-managed schools which facilitate improved student outcomes and school performance. In particular, the study investigated three questions: 1. what are the enabling conditions in schools employing school-based management which school staff and parents consider influential in the achievement of improved student outcomes? 2. what explanations do these people give for how these conditions are applied within their schools to achieve success? 3. what judgents do school staff and parents make about the relationship between school-based management, student outcomes and overall school performance? The dissertation commences by describing major challenges and issues facing education over the next decade and by discussing how international and Australian systems of education are responding to these challenges through the implementation of various models of school-based management A review of international literature covering the last fifteen years is then presented to show that the promises and potentials of school-based management espoused by educational authorities have not necessarily led to an automatic improvement in student outcomes and school performance. Various conditions that may enable a school to implement school-based management effectively are suggested.. These conditions, derived from the literature review, are used as the initial prompts to undertake research in fOur Queensland primary schools Qualitative methodologies are used to gather data related to the three questions of the study in these four schools. The data obtained from the fouw case studies are then presented and discussed. The research findings suggest that the relationship between school-based management, student outcomes and school performance are dependent on the existence of severa1 conditions within school-based managed schools. These involve: 1. a comprehensive understanding of the powers available within a school-based management regime; 2. a school's organisational readiness to take on school-based management responsibilities and authonties; 3. the existence of six bases and their enabling conditions: i. an Ideology Base; ii a Relationship Base; iii. a Performance Base; iv. a Pedagogy Base; v. a Management Base; vi. a Governance Base. 4. the capacity of the school to implement school-based management in terms of contextual issues such as the size of the school, workfbrce experience and competency, geographical location and complexity of the campus; 5. the requirement of the controlling authority to delegate key powers and resources such as staffing, facilities management and total school budgeting; 6. a school-based process to manage change and school improvement. It is argued that these conditions maximise the ability of those involved in school-based management to influence improvements in student outcomes and school performance. The dissertation concludes by suggesting five major implications of the study and at least three areas of possible filture research The five major implications are: 1. the development of clear understandings of the scope of the authorities and responsibilities available to school-based managed schools in Queensland; 2. the need to develop methodology to evaluate and identify school organisational readiness to take on school-based management; 3. the development and implementation of a process that will enhance school effectiveness; 4. the development and implementation of a process that can enhance the quality of governance within Education Queensland schools; 5. the development of differentiated school-based management options that broaden the decentralised authorities to schools in consideration of their organisational readiness and capacity to implement school-based management. There are at least three areas of possible future research. The first of these areas involves research to investigate the conditions that exist within schools (to which Education Queensland has assigned the most advanced devolution of authority) that are not successful in improving student outcomes and school performance.. The second area of further research involves an evaluation of the effect that the current school council governance model has on the improvement of student outcomes and school performance.. The third area of future research involves the investigation of the possibilities of enhancing existing school-based management responsibilities and authorities in Education Queensland schools. In summary, this study suggests that school-based management has been used by educational authorities in Australia and overseas as a possible means to improve student outcomes and school performance. The fmdings suggest that for school-based management to achieve what it was set out to achieve, schools need to work an a number of enabling conditions. The most important of these include: an understanding of the school's core purpos~, a school-wide commitment to high teaching expectations, an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of staff, a principal who has a strong commitment to students, a principal who has high hopes, aspirations and expectations for the school, a strong fOcus on literacy, especially reading, effective behaviour management programmes, systems that identify and target student's needs, highly professional staff and school staffing that responds to the complexity of the school. These fmdings are consistent with the argument that there is no automatic causal link between the implementation of school-based management and improved student outcomes and school performance.. It is only when particular enabling conditions exist or are developing within a school, that effective school-based management can take root and support a range of school-based initiatives focused on the improvement of student and school performance When this is the case, school-based management may influence a school's ability to improve student outcomes and school performance.

This research discusses the use of Delta in regulating the investment behaviour of the Trustees of Self-Managed Superannuation Funds (SMSFs) who use Exchange Traded Options (ETOs) in their investment strategies. An ETO represents a contract between two parties, giving the taker (the buyer) the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a parcel of shares at a predetermined price, on or before a predetermined date, to or from the writer (the seller). It is acceptable for SMSF Trustees to use ETO investments as part of their overall investment strategy, providing that leverage or mere speculation are not the reasons behind that investment. It is important to note that neither the Regulator, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), nor its predecessor, the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA), actually state what constitutes 'speculation', or what the allowable uses for derivatives are. There are no practical guidelines. This is a key issue for this research, which aims, as practically as possible, to fill these crucial gaps. A Trustee must abide by their superannuation fund's overriding covenants and investment strategy, and inform its members, through Risk Management Statements, of the trust's derivative strategy. While ETOs can be used to manage risk, they also carry a level of risk themselves. Delta measures an ETO's value movement in correlation with a movement in the option's underlying share price. An ETO carrying a low Delta generally means a cheaper price (premium) per contract than an option carrying a higher Delta. The lower the Delta, however, the lower the chance there is of a positive result for the buyer. This research shows that an ETO Delta of less than 0.2 gives results in favour of buyers in only 11 out of 100 occurrences. This figure rises to 42 out of 100 when Delta is greater than 0.8. From the sampled data, there is an overall financial loss to the buyer of -1.91%, with the financial return results being mixed at all levels of Delta. The overall return results have been compiled without preference to market direction, and clearly highlight the natural premium bias (which the buyer pays) to the seller. What this data does is reenforce the need for Trustees to have a solid view of market directions, or a set strategy in place, as buyers of ETOs. The conclusions drawn from the findings show that the chance of loss (when buying), or gain (when selling) ETOs with a Delta of; - less than 0.20 is 89%; - less than 0.40 is 74%; - less than 0.60 is 66%; - less than 0.80 is 57%; - greater than 0.80 is 58%; For example, a Trustee buying an ETO with a Delta of less than 0.20, faces an 89% chance of loss; a Trustee selling an ETO with a Delta of less than 0.20, faces an 89% chance of gain. The findings on overall financial returns (profit or loss) offer additional support to this critical review of Delta as a risk measurement tool. Whist it is impossible to know the motives or actual positions of portfolio managers of SMSF at any time, the aim of the thesis is to provide a measurement tool that can be used to assist the trustee at any given time by measuring the option risk element alone. When interpreting the findings, the reader must remember that ETO strategies are numerous, and a high-risk profile for one strategy may represent a low risk for another. Further to this, an ETO strategy's risk profile may change with the overlaying of another ETO. For example, where a Call option is bought, the risk involved in that purchase is represented by the premium paid. However, another Call option can then be sold against that position, with a later (or earlier) date to expiry, and with a higher strike price. This 'overlay' reduces the initial risk, but impacts on the maximum gain. It is vital that Trustees have a solid understanding of the basics of ETO strategies before considering using Delta as a measure of risk. The research proposes some guidelines Trustees can use when assessing an ETO strategy against their derivative/investment risk profile. For example, a Trustee buying an ETO with a Delta of less than 0.20, faces an 89% chance of loss; a Trustee selling an ETO with a Delta of less than 0.20, faces an 89% chance of gain. The findings on overall financial returns (profit or loss) offer additional support to this critical review of Delta as a risk measurement tool. Whist it is impossible to know the motives or actual positions of portfolio managers of SMSF at any time, the aim of the thesis is to provide a measurement tool that can be used to assist the trustee at any given time by measuring the option risk element alone. When interpreting the findings, the reader must remember that ETO strategies are numerous, and a high-risk profile for one strategy may represent a low risk for another. Further to this, an ETO strategy's risk profile may change with the overlaying of another ETO. For example, where a Call option is bought, the risk involved in that purchase is represented by the premium paid. However, another Call option can then be sold against that position, with a later (or earlier) date to expiry, and with a higher strike price. This 'overlay' reduces the initial risk, but impacts on the maximum gain. It is vital that Trustees have a solid understanding of the basics of ETO strategies before considering using Delta as a measure of risk. The research proposes some guidelines Trustees can use when assessing an ETO strategy against their derivative/investment risk profile. (table inserted) The findings from 2400 data samples show strong trends in support of the underlying premise (see Figure: Positive Results Versus Delta (ETO Buyers) below). Given these findings, the research concludes that Delta can be used as a measure of risk by SMSF Trustees. Delta may not be suitable, however, for measuring multiple layers of combined ETO positions, a type of derivative strategy not suited to or usual in the context of measuring risk within a SMSF. (table inserted) There is a major difference between simple and simplistic solutions offering practical answers in an environment of increasing complexity. Often, simple solutions offer far more value to the less experienced, when compared to complex ones, especially given the growing number of SMSFs, and the increasing lack of expertise in the areas of superannuation and risk management that this growth implies.