BackgroundIndividuals from low socio-economic backgrounds have higher rates of morbidity and premature mortality from cardiovascular risk factors compared to those from more affluent backgrounds.Hearty Lives Dundee is a complex intervention which aims to address this health inequality. The intervention targets cardiovascular health checks at population groups who are likely to be at high risk, but tend not to engage with traditional services. Practitioners have tried to increase engagement with the target groups through a number of strategies. These included community and workplace-based assessments, and General Practice-run health checks supported by an outreach facility. The aim of this thesis was to explore what works at increasing patient uptake of cardiovascular health checks, for what groups, in what circumstances, and why?MethodsA Realistic Evaluation was undertaken using a mixed methods approach. Routine data was extracted from the Hearty Lives database and descriptive statistics reported on patients attending the community-based opportunistic service and the GP-based service. A total of thirty semi-structured interviews and one focus group (n=5) were conducted with patient attenders and non-attenders of community and General Practice-based health checks. Seven staff from the Hearty Lives programme were also interviewed. Thematic analysis was undertaken using Ritchie and Spencer’s Framework approach.ResultsAttenders at health checks were more likely to be female and older, regardless of the setting. Uptake varied by the number and type of invitation method. Cardiovascular risk was greater in the target population presenting opportunistically but was confounded by the older age of this group.Patient engagement relied on the interaction of a number of factors which varied according to setting; accessibility, invitation method, personal circumstances, cues to action and barriers. A continuum existed from barriers to motivators to attendance depending on the presence or absence of a cue to action, e.g. family history or symptoms. The concept of preventive health checks for cardiovascular disease was not well understood as some patients did not perceive a need to attend without symptoms. Additionally, the health check was viewed as optional by many and not treated with the same seriousness as perceived ‘compulsory’ cancer screenings.DiscussionThe complex lives of the intended target population merit a range of accessible services to reduce barriers to preventive health care. The Realistic Evaluation approach provided transferable knowledge of how to effectively engage with people from different backgrounds and care utilisation preferences, which could easily inform similar NHS services.

Abstract I. Introduction a. Thesis statement: What is the process for modeling a stylized character and how does this differ from a semi-realistic character? b. Expanded thesis statement: The two styles differ from start to finish in a variety of ways. I believe that semi-realistic characters require more source material when drawing and modeling; however stylized characters require a different level of creativity and artistic ability in creation. Modeling semi-realistic characters will be more dependent on source images while stylized characters may require special attention with non-standard texture, style, etc. Rendering techniques will also differ when it goes to presenting the final polished versions with the stylized character focusing on rendering styles that flatten the character while the semi realistic character will require rendering techniques that make it seem more real visually.

Prevention of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is critical to reducing morbidity and mortality as both the rates of return to pre-hospital functional status and overall survival after IHCAs are low. Early identification of patients at risk and prompt clinical intervention are vital patient safety strategies to reduce IHCA. One widespread strategy is the Rapid Response System (RRS), which incorporates early risk identification, expert consultation, and key clinical interventions to bedside nurses caring for patients in clinical deterioration. However, evidence of RRS effectiveness has been equivocal in the patient safety literature. This study utilized a holistic Realistic Evaluation (RE) framework to identify important clinical environment (context) and system triggers (mechanisms) to refine our understanding of an RRS to improve local patient emoutcomesem and develop a foundation for building the next level of evidence within RE research. The specific aims of the study are to describe a RRS through context, mechanism, and outcome variables; explore differences in RRS outcomes between medical and surgical settings, and identify relationships between RRS context and mechanism variables for patient outcomes. Study RRS data was collected retrospectively from a 397-bed community hospital in the Midwest; including all adult inpatient RRS events from May 2006 (2 weeks post-RRS implementation) through November 2013. RRS events were analyzed through descriptive, comparative, and proportional odds (ordinal) logistic regression analyses. The study found the majority of adult inpatient RRS events occurred in medical settings and most were activated by staff nurses. Significant differences were noted between RRS events in medical and surgical settings; including patient status changes in the preceding 12 hours, event trigger patterns, and immediate clinical outcomes. Finally, proportional odds logistic regression revealed significant relationships between context and mechanism factors with changes in the risk of increased clinical severity immediately following at RRS event. RE was utilized to structure a preliminary study to explore the complex variables and relationships surrounding RRSs and patient outcomes. Further exploration of settings, changes in clinical status, staffing and resource access, and the ways nurses use RRSs is necessary to promote the early identification of vulnerable patients and strengthen hospital patient safety strategies.

<p>Denna uppsats jämför illustrationer av läraren i svenska och brittiska bilderböcker. I uppsatsen diskuteras nationella likheter och skillnader av lärarillustrationerna. Fokus ligger på hur bilderböckerna bidrar till att socialisera in barnen i förberedelserna inför skolstarten. Bildanalyserna jämförs även med den brittiska läroplanen The National Curriculum, och den svenska läroplanen, Lpo94, för att se hur pass realistisk den presenterade bilden av läraren är.</p><p>Vi har valt att analysera illustrationer från tre böcker från vardera land, alla med ordet ”school” eller ”skola” i titeln. Alla böckerna är skrivna under varje lands rådande läroplan. För att kunna analysera bilderna har vi hämtat inspiration från analysmetoden polariserande bildanalys.</p><p>Både Sverige och Storbritannien delar västvärldens syn på skola och lärande, båda länderna visar genom sina illustrationer läraren som en positiv och trevlig person som ständigt ler. Bilden av skolan blir därigenom god, frågan är hur pass realistisk denna bild är?</p><p>Skillnaderna mellan de två länderna har mer att göra med kön och etnicitet. I en brittisk bok är läraren en skallig man, i en annan en mörkhyad ung kvinna och den tredje en medelålders kvinna. I de svenska bilderböckerna är bilden av läraren mer generell. Alla lärare är vita kvinnor, det som skiljer dem åt är deras skiftande åldrar. Det finns endast en manlig lärare med i de undersökta svenska bilderböckerna, en träslöjdslärare, stereotypen för manlighet. Vi fann i studien att fokus i de brittiska bilderböckerna ligger mycket mer på läraren än i de svenska. De brittiska lärarna är uppmuntrande, populära ledare. De svenska lärarna är ofta placerade i bakgrunden och hade en mer passiv roll. I de svenska bilderböckerna är det elevernas relationer med varandra som står i fokus.</p><p>Eftersom urvalet av våra böcker endast täcker en bråkdel av alla bilderböcker för barn är inte tanken att vi ska komma med något absolut gällande resultat, men vi hoppas kunna se tendenser till generella slutsatser. Vi är öppna för att denna uppsats används för vidare studier.</p> / <p>This essay compares illustrations in picture books for children in Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The aim for this essay is to discuss national differences and similarities in how teachers are illustrated in picture books for children. Our focus is the illustrations and how they connect to the way the societies socialise children in preparation for starting school.</p><p>The analysis of the illustrations is also compared to The National Curriculum and Lpo94, to see how the curriculum has influenced the authors and illustrators. We want to see how the pre-school socialisation, in the world of illustrations in picture books, is realistic if you compare it to the school system and curriculum with a background in cultural and sociological studies.</p><p>We have chosen to analyse three picture books from each country, with the word “school” or “skola” in the title. The books have to have been printed during the ruling curriculum. The analysis of the pictures is inspired of a so called polarising picture analysis. Both countries share western culture and standards however, the picture of the teacher as a positive and nice person was something the both countries had in common. The illustration of the almost always smiling teacher made us draw some conclusions about how adults paint up a beautiful picture about starting school that is not necessarily realistic.</p><p>The differences between the two countries had more to do with ethnicity and gender. In one book from The United Kingdom the teacher is a bold man, in another a black woman and in the third the teacher was a young lady with brown hair. In the Swedish children books all teachers were woman, there was only one male teacher, posted as a wood workshop teacher, a stereotype for males. There was however some variations in age among these women, but in other ways they are similar, smiling white women that are nice to children. We also found more of a focus on the teacher in the British children books, the teachers were the supported leaders, all very popular with the children. In the Swedish children books, the teachers are more passive, the relation between the pupils takes more of the focus.</p><p>Since this essay only deals with a selection of picture books, we do not aim to make a clear conclusion. This essay is more likely a beginning of a further study.</p>

Since 1971, the Freudenthal Institute has developed an approach to mathematics education named Realistic Mathematics Education (RME). The philosophy of RME is based on Hans Freudenthal’s concept of ‘mathematics as a human activity’. Prof. Hans Freudenthal (1905-1990), a mathematician and educator, believes that ‘ready-made mathematics’ should not be taught in school. By contrast, he urges that students should be offered ‘realistic situations’ so that they can rediscover from informal to formal mathematics. Although mathematics education in Vietnam has some achievements, it still encounters several challenges. Recently, the reform of teaching methods has become an urgent task in Vietnam. It appears that Vietnamese mathematics education lacks necessary theoretical frameworks. At first sight, the philosophy of RME is suitable for the orientation of the teaching method reform in Vietnam. However, the potential of RME for mathematics education as well as the ability of applying RME to teaching mathematics is still questionable in Vietnam. The primary aim of this dissertation is to research into abilities of applying RME to teaching and learning mathematics in Vietnam and to answer the question “how could RME enrich Vietnamese mathematics education?”. This research will emphasize teaching geometry in Vietnamese middle school. More specifically, the dissertation will implement the following research tasks: • Analyzing the characteristics of Vietnamese mathematics education in the ‘reformed’ period (from the early 1980s to the early 2000s) and at present; • Implementing a survey of 152 middle school teachers’ ideas from several Vietnamese provinces and cities about Vietnamese mathematics education; • Analyzing RME, including Freudenthal’s viewpoints for RME and the characteristics of RME; • Discussing how to design RME-based lessons and how to apply these lessons to teaching and learning in Vietnam; • Experimenting RME-based lessons in a Vietnamese middle school; • Analyzing the feedback from the students’ worksheets and the teachers’ reports, including the potentials of RME-based lessons for Vietnamese middle school and the difficulties the teachers and their students encountered with RME-based lessons; • Discussing proposals for applying RME-based lessons to teaching and learning mathematics in Vietnam, including making suggestions for teachers who will apply these lessons to their teaching and designing courses for in-service teachers and teachers-in training. This research reveals that although teachers and students may encounter some obstacles while teaching and learning with RME-based lesson, RME could become a potential approach for mathematics education and could be effectively applied to teaching and learning mathematics in Vietnamese school. / Seit 1971 wurde an dem renommierten Freudenthal Institut in Utrecht ein als Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) bezeichneter mathematikdidaktischer Ansatz entwickelt. Die Philosophie von RME beruht auf Hans Freudenthals Auffassung von Mathematik als menschlicher Aktivität. Der Mathematiker und Didaktiker Prof. Hans Freudenthal (1905 – 1990) plädierte dafür, dass Mathematik an den Schulen nicht als Fertigprodukt unterrichtet werden sollte. Im Gegensatz dazu forderte er, den Schülern an ‚realistischen’ Situationen nicht-formale und formale Mathematik wieder entdecken zu lassen. Obwohl die mathematische Schulbildung in Vietnam in den letzten Jahrzehnten schon einige Fortschritte gemacht hat, steht sie noch vor großen Herausforderungen. Derzeit ist die Reform der Unterrichtsmethoden eine dringliche Aufgabe in Vietnam. Augenscheinlich ermangelt es der Mathematikdidaktik in Vietnam an dem dazu notwendigen theoretischen Rahmen. Die Philosophie von RME eignet sich grundsätzlich als Orientierung für die Reform der Unterrichtsmethoden in Vietnam. Allerdings ist die Potenz von RME für die mathematische Schulbildung in Vietnam und die Möglichkeiten, RME im Mathematikunterricht anzuwenden, noch zu klären. Das Hauptziel dieser Arbeit war zu erforschen, wie RME beim Mathematik-Lernen und -Lehren in Vietnam eingesetzt werden kann und die Frage zu beantworten: Wie kann RME den Mathematikunterricht in Vietnam bereichern? Dazu wurde insbesondere der Geometrieunterricht in der Sekundarstufe I betrachtet. Im Einzelnen beinhaltet die Untersuchung: • eine Analyse der vietnamesischen Mathematikdidaktik in der ‘Reformperiode’ (etwa von 1980 bis 2000) • die Konzeption, Durchführung und Auswertung einer Befragung von 152 Mittelschullehrern aus verschiedenen vietnamesischen Provinzen und Städten zum Mathematikunterricht in Vietnam • eine Analyse von RME einschließlich der Freudenthalschen Sicht von RME und der Charakteristika von RME • die Diskussion, wie man RME-basierten Unterrichtseinheiten gestalten und diese in den Mathematikunterricht in Vietnam integrieren kann • Test solcher Einheiten in vietnamesischen Mittelschulen • Analyse der Rückmeldungen anhand der Schülerarbeitsblätter und der Lehrerberichte • Diskussion der Chancen und Probleme von RME-basierten Unterrichtseinheiten im Geometrieunterricht vietnamesischer Mittelschulen • Diskussion von Vorschläge zur Entwicklung und zum Einsatz RME- basierter Unterrichtseinheiten in Vietnam, einschließlich von Hinweisen für Lehrende und der Konzeption von Ausbildungs- und Fortbildungskursen zu RME Die Untersuchung zeigt, dass – obwohl Lehrer wie Schüler zunächst einige Hindernisse beim Lehren und Lernen mit RME- basierten Unterrichtseinheiten zu bewältigen haben werden – RME ein mächtiger mathematikdidaktischer Ansatz ist, der wirkungsvoll im Lehren und Lernen von Mathematik in vietnamesischen Schulen angewandt werden kann.

Denna uppsats jämför illustrationer av läraren i svenska och brittiska bilderböcker. I uppsatsen diskuteras nationella likheter och skillnader av lärarillustrationerna. Fokus ligger på hur bilderböckerna bidrar till att socialisera in barnen i förberedelserna inför skolstarten. Bildanalyserna jämförs även med den brittiska läroplanen The National Curriculum, och den svenska läroplanen, Lpo94, för att se hur pass realistisk den presenterade bilden av läraren är. Vi har valt att analysera illustrationer från tre böcker från vardera land, alla med ordet ”school” eller ”skola” i titeln. Alla böckerna är skrivna under varje lands rådande läroplan. För att kunna analysera bilderna har vi hämtat inspiration från analysmetoden polariserande bildanalys. Både Sverige och Storbritannien delar västvärldens syn på skola och lärande, båda länderna visar genom sina illustrationer läraren som en positiv och trevlig person som ständigt ler. Bilden av skolan blir därigenom god, frågan är hur pass realistisk denna bild är? Skillnaderna mellan de två länderna har mer att göra med kön och etnicitet. I en brittisk bok är läraren en skallig man, i en annan en mörkhyad ung kvinna och den tredje en medelålders kvinna. I de svenska bilderböckerna är bilden av läraren mer generell. Alla lärare är vita kvinnor, det som skiljer dem åt är deras skiftande åldrar. Det finns endast en manlig lärare med i de undersökta svenska bilderböckerna, en träslöjdslärare, stereotypen för manlighet. Vi fann i studien att fokus i de brittiska bilderböckerna ligger mycket mer på läraren än i de svenska. De brittiska lärarna är uppmuntrande, populära ledare. De svenska lärarna är ofta placerade i bakgrunden och hade en mer passiv roll. I de svenska bilderböckerna är det elevernas relationer med varandra som står i fokus. Eftersom urvalet av våra böcker endast täcker en bråkdel av alla bilderböcker för barn är inte tanken att vi ska komma med något absolut gällande resultat, men vi hoppas kunna se tendenser till generella slutsatser. Vi är öppna för att denna uppsats används för vidare studier. / This essay compares illustrations in picture books for children in Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The aim for this essay is to discuss national differences and similarities in how teachers are illustrated in picture books for children. Our focus is the illustrations and how they connect to the way the societies socialise children in preparation for starting school. The analysis of the illustrations is also compared to The National Curriculum and Lpo94, to see how the curriculum has influenced the authors and illustrators. We want to see how the pre-school socialisation, in the world of illustrations in picture books, is realistic if you compare it to the school system and curriculum with a background in cultural and sociological studies. We have chosen to analyse three picture books from each country, with the word “school” or “skola” in the title. The books have to have been printed during the ruling curriculum. The analysis of the pictures is inspired of a so called polarising picture analysis. Both countries share western culture and standards however, the picture of the teacher as a positive and nice person was something the both countries had in common. The illustration of the almost always smiling teacher made us draw some conclusions about how adults paint up a beautiful picture about starting school that is not necessarily realistic. The differences between the two countries had more to do with ethnicity and gender. In one book from The United Kingdom the teacher is a bold man, in another a black woman and in the third the teacher was a young lady with brown hair. In the Swedish children books all teachers were woman, there was only one male teacher, posted as a wood workshop teacher, a stereotype for males. There was however some variations in age among these women, but in other ways they are similar, smiling white women that are nice to children. We also found more of a focus on the teacher in the British children books, the teachers were the supported leaders, all very popular with the children. In the Swedish children books, the teachers are more passive, the relation between the pupils takes more of the focus. Since this essay only deals with a selection of picture books, we do not aim to make a clear conclusion. This essay is more likely a beginning of a further study.

Nowadays, more and more organizations put efforts on recruitment process in order to find the right employees. With the new technology development, the various recruitment sources yield. The differential effectiveness of the various sources through which outside applicants hear of employment opportunities at a particular organization needs further research to identify which sources yield stable, reliable, and high-performing employees (Taylor, 1988). In this study, we also adapt the concept of cognitive dissonance which has been never used in organizational issues to see its availability on organizational issues. In order to know how realistic job previews (RJPs) can be functioned effectively and when and in what forms the realistic job previews messages are processed most effectively by new comers during recruitment process, we need to extend the realistic job previews prior research and try to understand the factors that influence an realistic job preview message as well as how realistic job previews operate to influence socialization outcomes. Besides, how effective the new comers acquire the realistic job preview messages (information) is also an important issue that will be emphasized in this study. This study contributed to understand the current situation of realistic job previews which recruiters provide during recruitment procedure and the relationship between RJPs, cognitive dissonance and socialization outcomes. In this study, the sample was distributed to the new employees whose tenure was less than one year. The total distributed samples were 280 and returned samples were 237. We excluded 20 invalid responses and final samples were 217. One Way ANOVA and Linear Regression were used to analyse the relationship between variables in this study. The result can be summarized as follows: 1. As the result reported, most of applicants (66.8%) apply job through Internet. The result indicates that most of applicants today prefer web-based interface as they try to seek recruitment related information. Most applicants (85.7%) experience laboratory setting (e.g. interview) during recruitment process. Over half of new comers (56.2%) get realistic job information after they started the job. The result suggests that over half of applicants get whole realistic job preview after they accept the job offer. 2. As our result reported, greater use of medium, settings, and recruiters while realistic job previews are presented during recruitment process significantly influence new comers¡¦ cognitive dissonance, especially for wisdom of making employment decision and concern over selection procedure. The result indicates that the medium of written, will lead the strongest influence to new comers¡¦ cognitive dissonance during recruitment process. The position of recruiters who provide job information during recruitment process is reported to significantly influence wisdom of making employment decision and concern over selection procedure. The result of comparison between groups suggests that if line employees who are responsible to provide job information, the new comers will perceive a stronger influence on the degrees of cognitive dissonance comparing with the recruiters who are in other positions. 3. Great use of timing of realistic job previews presented during recruitment process is partially associated with new comers¡¦ socialization outcomes. 4. Realistic job preview information presented during recruitment process is negatively associated with new comers¡¦ cognitive dissonance, positively associated with organizational commitment and negatively associated with turnover intention after they get into an organization. 5. Cognitive dissonance except emotional, is negatively associated with organizational commitment and positively associated with turnover intention. 6. The mediating effect of cognitive dissonance between realistic job previews and socialization outcomes is noteworthy.

The state of Texas reflects the teacher shortages experienced by the rest of the United States. The three studies included in this dissertation use exploratory mixed-methods and qualitative research designs to understand experiences of Texas high school science teachers at the entry stage of the teacher professional continuum (TPC): recruitment. Little is understood about the relationship between recruitment, job satisfaction and retention of teachers. A conceptual framework (i.e., teacher-to-school match, realistic job previews, decision factors) was used to guide the inquiry process and help draw connections between the literature and findings from this study regarding teacher recruitment, job satisfaction, and retention. This research was completed in collaboration with the PRISE Research Group at Texas A&M University. The first study describes recruitment activities of new-to-school science teachers for their current positions. A content analysis of teachers' interviews suggested that schools are not maximizing valuable resources supporting teacher-to-school match and realistic job previews (RJP). Further analyses indicated teachers' interview experiences and participation in various types of RJP activities were associated with minority student enrollment profile (MSEP) and size of school. The second study explores reasons for teachers' decisions to accept their positions. New-to-school teachers indicated 12 categories of reasons. Subjective factors relating to non-pecuniary aspects of the job were reported by teachers more frequently than objective or critical contact factors. Teachers' responses for accepting their positions were found to be associated with MSEP and size of school. The third study describes recruitment experiences of highly satisfied and retained new-to-school teachers. Trends were identified regarding teachers' match to schools, engagement in RJP activities, and use of decision factors. Findings from this study direct researchers towards new questions with regard to teacher recruitment as a leveraging factor for job satisfaction and retention. The final chapter provides a summary of all three studies. Recommendations are made to stakeholders regarding progressive recruitment practices and policies for high school science teachers. Concurrently, themes in this chapter provide researchers with a topology for the design of future studies addressing teacher shortages on campus using the initial stage of the TPC: recruitment.

We introduce a hybrid approach in which images of an urban scene are automatically alignedwith a base geometry of the scene to determine model-relative external camera parameters. Thealgorithm takes as input a model of the scene and images with approximate external cameraparameters and aligns the images to the model by extracting the facades from the images andaligning the facades with the model by minimizing over a multivariate objective function. Theresulting image-pose pairs can be used to render photo-realistic views of the model via texturemapping.Several natural extensions to the base hybrid reconstruction technique are also introduced. Theseextensions, which include vanishing point based calibration refinement and video stream basedreconstruction, increase the accuracy of the base algorithm, reduce the amount of data that mustbe provided by the user as input to the algorithm, and provide a mechanism for automaticallycalibrating a large set of images for post processing steps such as automatic model enhancementand fly-through model visualization.Traditionally, photo-realistic urban reconstruction has been approached from purely image-basedor model-based approaches. Recently, research has been conducted on hybrid approaches, whichcombine the use of images and models. Such approaches typically require user assistance forcamera calibration. Our approach is an improvement over these methods because it does notrequire user assistance for camera calibration.

Employer Branding är ett strategiskt verktyg som ökat i popularitet i dagens organisationer för att attrahera, rekrytera och behålla personal. I näringslivet talas det om tre starka skäl att arbeta med Employer Branding. För det första motsvarar inte den kvalificerade arbetskraft den kommande efterfrågan på arbetsmarknaden, för det andra ställer människor i dagens samhälle högre krav på arbetsgivaren och för det tredje har organisationers medarbetare ett mer betydande ansvar i informell marknadsföring. Denna studie genomförs på uppdrag av Centrala studiestödsnämnden (CSN) och datamaterialet har samlats in genom kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med medarbetare från en avgränsad del av organisationen. Studien syftar till att försöka förstå vilka aspekter som anställda ser som attraktiva med arbetsgivaren men även hur de identifierar sig med den. Resultatet visar att det som medarbetarna ser som attraktivt är en relativt samlad bild. Däremot när det gäller identifiering med organisationen är resultatet inte lika entydigt. Medarbetarna upplever vidare att kännedomen om organisationen ur ett externt perspektiv är lågt. Förbättringsområden som framträder i resultatet cirkulerar främst kring frågor om kommunikation och förändring. Slutligen kopplas studiens resultat samman med litteratur inom ämnesområdet.