Sickle cell trait (SCT) is a very prevalent disorder in the United States, especially among African Americans or people of African descent. However, even with the prevalence of the disorder, there are no standardized guidelines for providing patients with information about SCT and the implications of the disorder at physicals and well-check visits. The purpose of this evidence-based project was to increase awareness for African American patients 18-44 years old in the practice setting about SCT and to provide options for testing and genetic counseling. Kotter's contemporary change theory was used as a guide to implement the new practice approach. A quasi-experimental, single-group, pretest-posttest-only design was used to explore the relationship between providing consistent SCT education and the impact on the rate of SCT screening and genetic counseling. A total of 71 patients participated in the program. The analysis showed a significant (p < 0.001) mean difference of 18.16 points from the preintervention SCT and genetics test mean, which indicated that the intervention was successful in raising SCT and genetics knowledge scores among the target population. The results demonstrated that the implementation of SCT education in the practice setting can enhance social implications related to SCT awareness and opportunities for SCT testing and genetic counseling. The implementation of SCT clinical guidelines can help to increase awareness about SCT and improve the overall population health and reduce the financial burden affiliated with care of those with sickle cell disease and SCT complications.

Les structures planaires de grandes tailles sont de plus en plus utilisées dans les applications des satellites et des radars. Deux grands types de ces structures à savoir les FSS et les Reflectarrays sont particulièrement les plus intéressants dans les domaines de la conception RF. Mais en raison de leur grande taille et de la complexité des cellules élémentaires, l'analyse complète de ces structures nécessite énormément de mémoire et des temps de calcul excessif. Par conséquent, les techniques classiques basées sur maillage linéaire soit ne parviennent pas à simuler de telles structures soit, exiger des ressources non disponibles à un concepteur d'antenne. Une technique appelée " technique par changement d'échelle " tente de résoudre ce problème par partitionnement de la géométrie du réseau par de nombreux domaines imbriqués définis à différents niveaux d'échelle du réseau. Le multi-pôle par changement d'échelle, appelé " Scale changing Network (SCN) ", modélise le couplage électromagnétique entre deux échelles successives, en résolvant une formulation intégral des équations de Maxwell par une technique basée sur la méthode des moments. La cascade de ces multi-pôles par changement d'échelle, permet le calcul de la matrice d'impédance de surface de la structure complète qui peut à son tour être utilisées pour calculer la diffraction en champ lointain. Comme le calcul des multi-pôles par changement d'échelle est mutuellement indépendant, les temps d'exécution peuvent être réduits de manière significative en parallélisant le calcul. Par ailleurs, la modification de la géométrie de la structure à une échelle donnée nécessite seulement le calcul de deux multi-pôles par changement d'échelle et ne requiert pas la simulation de toute la structure. Cette caractéristique fait de la SCT un outil de conception et d'optimisation très puissant. Des structures planaires uniformes et non uniformes excité par un cornet ont étés modélisés avec succès, avec des temps de calcul dé lais intéressants, employant les ressources normales de l'ordinateur.

The terminations and the joints are the basic accessories of the power cables. Power cables require electrical stress control when terminated. Since there are different types of terminations, the analysis should be done to choose the proper method for electric field control problem at the terminations. Throughout this study two different types of termination methods are investigated by using the finite element analysis program (ANSYS): Stress Controlled Termination Model with Deflector and Stress Control Tube (SCT). The results are compared with those obtained for a cable without stress control model termination. The numerical calculations are also compared with the measurements obtained by an experimental model: the electrolytic tank model.

Health information technology (HIT) aims to improve healthcare services by means of technological tools. Patient centered technologies such as personal health records are relatively new HIT tools that enable individuals to get involved in their health management activities. These tools enable the transformation of health consumer behavior from one of passive health information consumers to that of active managers of their health information. This new role is more interactive and engaged, and with such tools, patients can better navigate their lives, and exercise more control over their treatments, hence potentially also leading to improvement in the quality of health services. Despite the benefits of using personal health record systems for health consumers, the adoption rate of these systems remains low. Many free and paid services have not received the uptake that had been anticipated when these services were first introduced. This study investigates some factors that affect the adoption of these systems, and may shed light on some potential reasons for low adoption rates. In developing the theoretical model of this study, social cognitive theory (SCT) and technology acceptance model (TAM) were utilized. The theoretical model was validated through a quantitative survey-based methodology, and the results were derived using structural equation modeling techniques. The key findings of this study highlight the role of individual and environmental factors as determinants of end-user behavior in the adoption of personal health records. The results show that in addition to perceptions of usefulness and ease of use, factors such as social norms and technology awareness are also significantly associated with various factors that directly and indirectly affect intention to use PHRs Based on the results obtained in this study, recommendations are offered for technology providers, and possible directions are proposed for academic researchers.

The objectives of the thesis were to find the mechanisms that govern compression failures in paperboard and to find the link between manufacturing process and paperboard properties. The thesis also investigates two different test methods and evaluates how suitable they are for paperboard grades. The materials are several commercial board grades and a set of hand-formed dynamic sheets that are made to mimic the construction of commercial paperboard. The method consists of mounting a stereomicroscope on a short-span compression tester and recording the compression failure on video, long-span compression testing and standard properties testing. The observed failure modes of paperboard under compression were classified into four categories depending on the appearance of the failures. Initiation of failure takes place where the structure is weakest and fiber buckling happens after the initiation, which consists of breaking of fiber-fiber bonds or fiber wall delamination. The compression strength is correlated to density and operations and raw materials that increase the density also increases the compression strength. Short-span compression and Long-span compression are not suitable for testing all kinds of papers; the clamps in short-span give bulky specimens an initial geometrical shape that can affect the given value of compression strength. Long-span compression is only suitable for a limited range of papers, one problem with too thin papers are low wavelength buckling.

多人角色扮演線上遊戲內是否有領導力？若有，這種能力如何培養、展現與有效實踐？本研究期待藉由探索魔獸世界公會團隊隊長(Raid Leader，簡稱RL)的遊戲歷程，探究線上遊戲如何可能成為形塑領導能力的場域，並分析此領導力應用於現實世界的機會與限制。 / 以線上遊戲「魔獸世界」為觀察環境，從RL在遊戲裡的日常工作、與他人相處、副本經歷到追求集體目標的過程，了解RL如何帶領玩家獲得成就感及形成影響力。擁有深遠故事背景、明確角色定位、任務導向及短中長期目標的「魔獸世界」正好提供良好的虛擬試煉空間，讓玩家組隊挑戰副本空間，讓玩家在自由組隊及各種征戰練習中，以團隊的力量尋找解答與達成擊敗魔王的目標。投入條件不斷變化的副本環境獲得利益與經驗等級，此過程所產生的情感與經濟的交換，使玩家間的關係變得複雜，也增加玩家對遊戲的黏著度，線上遊戲不但塑造出新的交友管道，更可能追引出新的管理模式與領袖培養機制。 / 本研究透過不同年齡與社會歷練之RL深度訪談，加上公會論壇的內容分析，察知在管理公會事務與副本征戰過程中的RL，將會於實踐遊戲目標之際建立自信與玩家間的信賴關係，並逐步形塑其領導力。此歷程中發現之策略運用、資源交換等遊戲技能；風險承擔與情緒管理等服務態度與合作分享等人格特質，與Drucker與Senge提出的領導力特質不謀而合，玩家將遊戲裡所獲得的心得分析、重組、整合，並把遊戲中與朋友相處的法則與解決問題的方式轉化及複製為現實社會裡的應用知識，線上遊戲除了可形塑創造願景、審時度勢、協調利益、嘗試創新、激勵賦能等領導者能力，可轉換至現實社會或不適宜轉換但可引以為戒的反向思考與限制也將一併於本研究中呈現。 / Is leadership really existent amongst on-line games? If so, how can those players develop, display or effectively practice their leadership when playing games? Then what will this capability affect or contribute to the virtual environment and our physical social context after players possess it? In order to answer these questions, this research has examined the character Raid leader or RL in on-line game, the World of Warcraft, investigated the forming process of his leadership and explored the ways in which an on-line game has become an arena to train leadership. Based on the World of Warcraft, we have observed RL’s daily routines in the game, the interaction with other players and the process from the dungeon (also called instance) experience to achieve team’s goal pursuit in attempts in order to realize the model of interaction in on-line game as well as the ways in which RL has led all the team member to attain achievements and form their influence. MMORPG with a long storyline, clear role position, mission orientation and different term goals offers an on-line gaming world where designed a series of quizzes and a dungeon for different player communities to challenge. Player can team up with the others, match with one another and conquer difference practices to find the resolution and defeat the monsters (also called Boss) in the dungeon. After campaigning with team members in different personalities and joining continuously changing dungeon environments to gain different bonus and experience levels, players may form a close bond with one another and exchange treasures or information on hand in terms of their economic profit during the game. Furthermore, after having some intensive interviews with RLs who are at different ages and having their own social experience in the real society as well as the analysis of the context in the guild forum, this research has discovered that RLs who manage guild affairs and conquer dungeon will establish their self-confidence and dependence with the other players when achieving the goals in games, and extend his leadership to those players. Those findings from this forming procedure not only agree with the rules to hone leadership asserted by Drucker and Senge in recent years and the characteristics but also drew forth a team dynamics force to on-line player communities and a new mass movement that may influence the social impression or educational direction in the future. By means of daily play of on-line games, players analyzed, re-organized and integrated their own feedback from the games, and involuntarily transferred the ways to get along with friends in games and to solve questions to tacit knowledge to manage the real society. In addition to the search for the vision formed in on-line games and the characteristics of leadership as consideration of the situation, co-ordination of the profits on hand, attempt to innovate and ability to stimulate talents, some changeable key points, mechanism or limitation to the real society or unchangeable but referring points will also be presented in this research.

[Abstract]: Research has suggested that, despite support through policy and resource provision,information and communications technologies (ICTs) have made little impact on the practiceof education and that limited teacher preparation for the use of ICTs represents a partialexplanation. The purpose of this study was to investigate what form of professionaleducation might be effective in preparing pre-service teachers to integrate ICTs into theirteaching. Self-efficacy beliefs about teaching with computers were identified as a potentiallysignificant source of influence on teachers' use of ICTs for teaching. It was proposed thatinteractive multimedia using a problem-based learning design (IMM-PBL) should be aneffective tool for increasing self-efficacy. Principles for the design of IMM-PBL were derivedfrom the relevant literature.An IMM-PBL package was designed and developed for delivery in a web browser formatusing content relevant to the integration of ICTs into teaching. Interviews with and sampleresponses prepared by computer-using teachers provided the basis for ensuring therelevance of content.The completed materials were evaluated in use with a group of 24 final year pre-serviceteachers in a Queensland university. Participants in the trials reported that the materialswere engaging and assisted their learning about integrating computers in their teaching. Astatistically significant increase in self-efficacy for teaching with computers was found forusers who had initially low self-efficacy for teaching with computers.The principles proposed for IMM-PBL design were found to offer a practical basis for thedevelopment of effective learning materials. With further development, IMM-PBL promisesto be a powerful and flexible approach to supporting learning for teachers and otherprofessionals.

In the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, direct searches for the elusive Higgs boson will be conducted, as well as for physics beyond the Standard Model. The charged Higgs boson (H±) is interesting both as a part of the Higgs sector, and as a clear sign of new physics. This thesis focuses on H± searches, with H± production in top-antitop pair events, and in particular the  bW± bH±, H±→τhadν, W±→qq channel. Its potential was investigated  as  part of a larger study of the expected performance of the entire ATLAS experiment. Full simulation of the ATLAS detector and trigger was used, and all dominant systematics considered. It was shown to be the most promising H± discovery channel for mH±&lt;mt. As hadronic τ decays are important for H± searches, their correct identification is critical. Possibilities of improving tau-jet identification in  pile-up and top-antitop pair events were investigated. Redundant or even performance-reducing variables in the default likelihood identification were identified, as were new variables showing discriminatory power. This allows for increased rejection of QCD jets in these environments, and higher robustness of the method. Before any physics studies, a commissioned and well-understood detector is required. The Lorentz angle of the ATLAS Semi-Conductor Tracker (SCT) barrel was measured using 2008 cosmic-ray data. It is an important observable for the performance of several detector aspects. Potential sources of systematics were investigated and evaluated. The Lorentz angle in the SCT barrel was measured as θL = 3.93 ± 0.03(stat) ± 0.10(syst) degrees, agreeing with the model prediction. The Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) is a proposed successor to the LHC. The potential for charged and heavy neutral Higgs bosons at CLIC was investigated, in terms of both discovery and precision measurement of parameters like tanβ or the Higgs masses, up to and beyond 1 TeV, which would be challenging at the LHC

Les performances des outils numériques de simulation électromagnétique de structures complexes, i.e., échelles multiples, sont souvent limitées par les ressources informatiques disponibles. De nombreux méso-centres, fermes et grilles de calcul, se créent actuellement sur les campus universitaires. Utilisant ces ressources informatiques mutualisées, ce travail de thèse s'attache à évaluer les potentialités du concept de grille de calcul (Grid Computing) pour la simulation électromagnétique de structures multi-échelles. Les outils numériques de simulation électromagnétique n'étant pas conçus pour être utilisés dans un environnement distribué, la première étape consistait donc à les modifier afin de les déployer sur une grille de calcul. Une analyse approfondie a ensuite été menée pour évaluer les performances des outils de simulation ainsi déployés sur l'infrastructure informatique. Des nouvelles approches pour le calcul électromagnétique distribué avec ces outils sont présentées et validées. En particulier, ces approches permettent la réalisation de simulation électromagnétique de structures à échelles multiples en un temps record et avec une souplesse d'utilisation.

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