In North America, the last two decades saw continued increases in population multimorbidity across all age groups. This trend, which is expected to endure in the coming years, has been attributed in large part to population aging and unhealthy lifestyle choices. While the societal consequences of multimorbidity have focused primarily on the burden it imposes on the sustainability of health systems and the need to implement innovative ways to deliver care, latent costs, such as possible increases in motor-vehicle accidents (MVAs) have received relatively little attention. The principal objective of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between multimorbidity and MVAs. To complement current knowledge on the topic, we conducted observational studies based on information recorded in electronic health records (EHR). The hypothesis that increasing levels of multimorbidity would translate into increasing risk of MVA was tested in both a general population of health care recipients and in persons with epilepsy, a subgroup of individuals predisposed to comorbidities and MVAs. To gain a better understanding of morbidity ascertainment in EHR data, preliminary validation studies were performed to evaluate the performance of Elixhauser comorbidity measures for predicting hospital mortality in our data source. A systematic review of risk factors contributing to the onset and progression of epilepsy was also performed in hopes of identifying elements that would help improve the methodological design of the principal thesis study limited to persons with epilepsy. Study results confirmed the excellent performance of the Elixhauser comorbidity measures for predicting hospital mortality in the Cerner Health Facts data repository. In the general health care recipient population, a positive exposure-outcome relationship was observed between multimorbidity and MVA risk. This relationship was consistent in adults across the lifespan and more pronounced in women than in men. In persons with epilepsy, the observed exposure-outcome relationship between multimorbidity and MVAs did not reach statistical significance. However, comorbid depression was identified as a risk factor for MVAs. Given increasing rates of multimorbidity in the general population, the findings of this thesis strongly support the need for replication and better characterization of the disease combinations that drive increases in MVA risk. Future work on this topic should also include estimates of MVA risk attributable to multimorbidity; this would inform and gauge the relevance of novel driving policies targeting individuals diagnosed with specific health conditions.

In our society, American citizens expect public policies to result in programs that address social problems in ways that are both efficient and effective. In order to judge if these two values are being achieved, public programs are often scrutinized through program monitoring and evaluation. Evaluation of public programs often is a responsibility delegated to local-level managers. The resulting discretion has to be balanced with the need for accountability that is also inherent in public programs. Evaluation is often difficult because outcomes are not readily measurable due to the complexity of the problems faced in the public setting. The Upward Bound program provides an example of this. Upward Bound provides services to students from low-income families and those in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree in order to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from postsecondary institutions. Upward Bound is implemented and evaluated based upon specifications decided upon at the local level. This discretion granted to local level managers has resulted in wide variations in the way the program is being evaluated. This presents a problem for evaluation and has resulted in inconclusive results as to the success of the program. One way to correct this problem is to try and gain a clear understanding of how the evaluation outcome measures are being chosen for Upward Bound. My study accomplished this task.

The driver is the club which receives the greatest scrutiny by golfers and the most marketing efforts by manufacturers. One characteristic often indicated and believed to effect driver performance is the degree of loft on the clubface. The purpose of the current study was to investigate club head speed, ball speed, launch angle, descent angle, total spin, carry, and total distance in an attempt to determine performance measures of three different lofted drivers. Fifteen participants were used to test three different degree drivers (9.5, 10.5, and 13 degree) on the variables listed above. Participants performed ten tested swings for each driver and variables were recorded. Launch angle and carry distance produced no significant differences between clubs. Club head speed, ball speed, total spin, descent angle, and total distance resulted in significant differences when between clubs analysis was conducted. The low lofted driver was found to produce the greatest performance measures.

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Incubators are organizations that have become a key factor to the success of new ventures. One study jointly sponsored by the University of Michigan, Ohio University, the National Business Incubation Association, and the Southern Technology Council found that 87% of the firms that went through an incubator program remain in business and 84% remain in their community. Clearly properly run incubators can provide much benefit. However there is littleconsensus on goals and best practices for managing the incubators themselves. Recently an approach to integrating strategy and practice called the balanced scorecard (BSC) has emerged asa popular tool in many public and private organizations. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the BSC as a potential performance andmanagement tool for Incubators in Florida. While the list of major corporations and public institutions that has adopted some form of a balanced scorecard continues to grow, there has been no research into its adaptability to incubators. This thesis found potential benefits associated with applying the BSC model to incubators, such as maintaining incubator's competitiveness and improving communication and employee's performance. Because a full-scale balanced scorecard system entails a fairly intensive implementation effort, it cannot be prescribed randomly across the variety of incubator enterprises. Accordingly, a stage of development framework is employed to help categorize incubators, assess their respective planning needs and identify how the balanced scorecard approach can be applied beneficially. Under these parameters, it is proposed that for incubators where both the degree of managerial complexity and the prospects for extensive change are high, the balanced scorecard can be a useful mechanism for effective management. A number of important implementation issues are also explored and some directions for future research are identified.

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published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / abstract / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy