The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify critical incidents that helped or hindered the sustainment of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in schools with five years or more of implementation in one school division. This study highlighted information related to PBIS because of its comprehensive approach to school discipline. The research sought to answer the following questions: 1. What critical incidents do building-based leadership team members indicate have helped the sustainment of PBIS? 2. What critical incidents do building-based leadership team members indicate have hindered the sustainment of PBIS? Participants of this study included one representative from five different building-based PBIS leadership teams from a school division in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Data were collected and analyzed to determine the building-based PBIS leadership team member's perception of what constituted the sustainment of PBIS, connection between a school's Tiered Fidelity Inventory score and sustainment, key components of implementing PBIS with fidelity, importance of implementing PBIS with fidelity, most challenging sustainable elements of fidelity, and least challenging sustainable elements of PBIS. This research will further contribute to the existing body of literature through a thorough description of critical incidents that have helped or hindered the sustainment of PBIS. Matthews, McIntosh, Frank, and May (2013) stated fidelity is the degree to which a new initiative is delivered as intended in order for PBIS to be sustained. The research identified a need for establishing a stronger understanding of core components of fidelity, establishment of a leadership team, staff buy-in, data driven decisions, and building capacity. Participants also indicated the essentialness of consistency in establishing and utilizing school-wide expectations. Leadership team members emphasized the importance of administrative support from initial stages of implementation through sustainment. In addition, the study found resources to be a vital component to the reward system of PBIS. Participants discussed struggles they endured without proper resources. Ongoing training was also designated as a critical component of sustaining PBIS. Participants similarly indicated the consistent use of data was essential to setting goals and action planning. / Doctor of Education / The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify critical incidents that helped or hindered the sustainment of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in schools with five years or more of implementation in one school division. For purposes of this study, critical incidents are those key factors – both positive or negative – that impact the sustainment of PBIS. Educators often times adopt new practices that fail because the root of the concerns were never identified and addressed. PBIS' comprehensive approach to behavior adds value to the school climate, however, there is not much research about sustaining PBIS. The researcher sought to identify these incidents as a means of helping educators sustain PBIS beyond a five-year period. The data from this study could be used to develop guidelines for sustaining PBIS. The researcher interviewed one building-based leadership team member from five different schools to gain an understanding of what constituted sustaining PBIS, key components of fidelity, purpose of the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) score, and challenges of implementing PBIS with fidelity. This study sought to answer the following research questions: 1. What critical incidents do building-based leadership team members indicate have helped the sustainment of PBIS? 2. What critical incidents do building-based leadership team members indicate have hindered the sustainment of PBIS? Participants of this study included one representative from five different building-based PBIS leadership teams from a school division in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Data were collected and analyzed to determine building-based PBIS leadership team members' perception of what constituted the sustainment of PBIS, connection between a school's TFI score and sustainment, key components of implementing PBIS with fidelity, importance of implementing PBIS with fidelity, most challenging sustainable elements of fidelity, and least challenging sustainable elements of PBIS. The TFI is an assessment tool used to determine the level of fidelity school personnel are applying the core features of PBIS (VTSS, 2018). This research will further contribute to the existing body of literature through a thorough description of critical incidents that have helped or hindered the sustainment of PBIS. Matthews et al. (2013) stated fidelity is the degree to which a new initiative is delivered as intended in order for PBIS to be sustained. This research found a stronger understanding of core components of fidelity needed to be established. Participants also indicated the essentialness of consistency in establishing and utilizing school-wide expectations. Leadership team members emphasized the importance of administrative support from initial stages of implementation through sustainment. In addition, this study found resources to be a vital component to the reward system of PBIS. Participants discussed struggles they endured without proper resources. Continuous training was also designated as critical component of sustaining PBIS. Participants similarly indicated consistent use of data was essential to setting goals and action planning. These identified critical incidents could be used to create guidelines to help educators sustain PBIS beyond a five-year period.

Cancer was the most common cause of the death in Taiwan in the past two decades. The recent advanced improvements of cancer treatment took endless encouragements and hopes to patients and their families, so they intended aggressively while dealing with the issue of death because of the decline of mortality rate and prolonged mean lifespan. It was difficult for families and doctors to decide whether to prolong life by life sustaing treatments (including cardiopulmonary resuscitation) or to sign Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) consent for terminal cancer patients .We want to analyze the related factors toward terminal cancer patients DNR and point out some ones correlated closely with the time of signing consent in this restrospective research. We corrected 80 DNR consents signed by terminal cancer patients or their families from one general teaching hospital in south Taiwan and analyzed factors toward the time of signing consents. Results of this study showed that the time of signing consents was very close with that of their death . Only 12.5% of the patients with survival more than 2 weeks after signing DNR consents, 55% of the patients or their families did not sign the consents until five days before their death, 30% of the patients died in 6-14 days after signing DNR consents, and there were even more twenty percent (21.25%) of the patients died in the day of which the consents were just signed by their families. The patients¡¦age, gender, kinds of their primary cancer, whether the pulmonary or pleural metastasis were present or not, and the treatments of these patients had no significant correlations with the time of signing DNR consents. Only three factors including of education level of patients, whether the patients¡¦illness was critical while signing consents and kinds of patients¡¦painkiller use contributed to the time of DNR signing significantly in this research. 72.5% of these patients had the degree for the primary school, and 80% of the patients or their families signed the consents just when the patients¡¦illness was critical. There were 32 patients with degree of the primary school and only 4 with degree of the junior high school within the patients wih survival more than 6 days after signing DNR consents (p value =0.003); There were 53.75% of the patients had ever used opioid painkillers while siging DNR consents, 25% of them had even received morphine for pain control. For the patients with survival more than 6 days after signing DNR consents, there were 18 patients prescribed opioid painkillers, and 26 patients without taking painkillers that meaned significant difference (p value =0.011); For the patients with critical illness while signing DNR consents, it meaned statistic difference for that 42 patients got survival more than 6 days and 23 patients with survival less than 6 days. (p value =0.000). We highly suggest to inforce the knowledge of hospice care to people in community and the colleagues of doctors and nurses by any kinds of education and introduction. We all need to pay more attentions to psychiatric status of terminal cancer patients and supply adequate help and care for them, so we could all get more close to meanings of human life.

Water Wise education Centre. This centre focusses on the teaching of water wise living methods. It assist one to become aware of the little water resources we have available and ultimately teaches one how to live in a self sustaining manner. It focuses on a sensory experience of water and creates a space or 'shell' were interactive learning can take place. / Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Architecture / unrestricted

What is the experience like for individuals residing in a community solely composed of gas stations and corner stores? How does the constant presence of these establishments, which primarily offer packaged and unhealthy food options, affect the health of the residents? Food deserts are typically defined as urban areas where it is challenging to access affordable and high-quality fresh food. According to the USDA, a food desert is an area where 100 households are located more than half a mile away from a supermarket. In 2010, approximately 19 million people lived in areas with limited supermarket access. While these statistics provide insight into the impact of food deserts, they fail to convey the personal experiences of those affected. In the wake of the pandemic, Washington DC ranks second in the country for food insecurity, with over 75% of food deserts located in Wards 7 and 8. This thesis explores the pressing need for healthier food options in urban environments and proposes the development of a farm-to-table community in Marshall Heights, a vibrant neighborhood in Washington DC's Ward 7. By incorporating livestock and public garden spaces, this community aims to provide its residents with access to fresh, nutritious food while fostering a deeper connection to the natural world. The design choices implemented in this community will enable individuals to witness the growth of their food and participate in its preparation, thereby promoting healthier lifestyles and sustainable practices within an urban setting. Through a multidisciplinary approach that considers the historical, cultural, and environmental aspects of Marshall Heights, this thesis offers a blueprint for an alternative way of life that prioritizes health and well-being. / Master of Architecture / This thesis explores the pressing need for healthier food options in urban environments and proposes the development of a farm-to-table community in Marshall Heights, a vibrant neighborhood in Washington DC's Ward 7. By incorporating livestock and public garden spaces, this community aims to provide its residents with access to fresh, nutritious food while fostering a deeper connection to the natural world. The design choices implemented in this community will enable individuals to witness the growth of their food and participate in its preparation, thereby promoting healthier lifestyles and sustainable practices within an urban setting. Through a multidisciplinary approach that considers the historical, cultural, and environmental aspects of Marshall Heights, this thesis offers a blueprint for an alternative way of life that prioritizes health and well-being.

No description available.

No description available.

Folk art is the art of everyday life. Framing homes can be artistic when done with a degree of exemplary expertise. Jerry Saville is a master folk artist because of his special skills and techniques exhibited in his trade of carpentry. This research provides a glimpse into a carpenter’s life to discover what creates and sustains a master carpenter. Through desire, drive, dedication (time/practice), life experience/opportunity (apprenticeship), purpose, and a community of support, Jerry Saville became a master folk artist.

Previous empirical studies show that returns on gold mining equities are positive and statistically significantly related to changes in the price of gold. However, these studies fail to examine operational factors that may provide further explanatory power to gold mining equity returns. Examining quarterly gold mining equity returns, All-In Sustaining Cost and gold production results between 2013 and 2018, I find that there exists a positive and statistically significant relationship between changes in gold mining equity returns and the price of gold and a negative and statistically significant relationship between lagged changes in All-In Sustaining Cost and gold mining equity returns. My findings suggest that investors must be cognizant of cost metrics when seeking gold exposure through gold mining equities.

It is an unchangeable fact that all industries in the world have to face the severe global competitions. This include all traditional industries in Taiwan which had created the "Taiwan Economic Miracle" in the past tens years. But most of traditional industries have been going to the end of their products¡¦ life cycle through long period. Facing the challenge of the global competitions and the threat of low cost from Mainland China, South-East Asia countries, and India, innovation is the only one method to help traditional industries get rid of the follower and keep long term competition. To increase the creativity in a enterprise is the way to maintain competitive forces. But it takes times, labors, and capital investments for accumulation and creation of technology. It also conceal a lot of risks. Therefore, the strategy of most companies will invest their resources on the sustaining innovation instead of the disruptive innovation. Because the sustaining innovation will not fail normally. But actually, The disruptive innovation is the real key point to decide whether the company can sustain or not in the future. The distinctive features of global competitions are that enterprises have to offer the product and service with low cost and differentiation compared with competitors. Here are many good traditional chemical companies in Taiwan share their 80% of R&D resources in the sustaining innovation and 20% in the disruptive innovation. Companies can reach their strategic target of lowering cost and differentiation through sustaining innovation. The disruptive innovation let companies to create a brand-new business for the future market. The 80/20 model can be as a reference for all traditional industries. The knowledge-creating companies utilize knowledge to build their wealth is the smartest method. And the R&D people possess the most important character in this sector. But R&D people also need to work closely together with other departments people in company to create synergy effectiveness. Because the different personal ethos of R&D people and characteristics of R&D works, the way how to promote the efficiency among the R&D people and other people is through the mechanism of knowledge management. In the era of Knowledge-Based Economy, step up the innovation of technology, accumulate and utilize the intellectual properties are the ways to increase the enterprises competitive forces.

abstract: Increasing demand for reducing the stress on fossil fuels has motivated automotive industries to shift towards sustainable modes of transport through electric and hybrid electric vehicles. Most fuel efficient cars of year 2016 are hybrid vehicles as reported by environmental protection agency. Hybrid vehicles operate with internal combustion engine and electric motors powered by batteries, and can significantly improve fuel economy due to downsizing of the engine. Whereas, Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) have an additional feature compared to hybrid vehicles i.e. recharging batteries through external power outlets. Among hybrid powertrains, lithium-ion batteries have emerged as a major electrochemical storage source for propulsion of vehicles. In PHEVs, batteries operate under charge sustaining and charge depleting mode based on torque requirement and state of charge. In the current article, 26650 lithium-ion cells were cycled extensively at 25 and 50 oC under charge sustaining mode to monitor capacity and cell impedance values followed by analyzing the Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cathode material by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). High frequency resistance measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was found to increase significantly under high temperature cycling, leading to power fading. No phase change in LiFePO4 cathode material is observed after 330 cycles at elevated temperature under charge sustaining mode from the XRD analysis. However, there was significant change in crystallite size of the cathode active material after charge/discharge cycling with charge sustaining mode. Additionally, 18650 lithium-ion cells were tested under charge depleting mode to monitor capacity values. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Mechanical Engineering 2016