The nursing profession has utilized a variety of terms to describe the work that nurses do, such as observing, monitoring, and critical thinking. Nursing surveillance is a term emerging in the research and clinical environment to describe the care, both seen and unseen, by professional registered nurses. It has been described as a complex, multi-dimensional concept that influences patient outcomes, yet little research has been done to examine the concept, how it is measured, and its role in outcomes.The surveillance process includes ongoing data collection, interpretation, and synthesis for decision making. This research proposes that nursing surveillance is comprised of five dimensions: actions, expertise, early recognition, intuition, and decision making. The purpose of this study is to examine the dimensions of nursing surveillance in the acute care setting.This study used a descriptive design to survey nurses on the dimensions of nursing surveillance. The survey consisted of four existing instruments measuring expertise, early recognition, intuition, and decision making, and one new instrument measuring activities associated with nursing surveillance. A content review panel was used to develop the new Nursing Surveillance Activities Scale. A sample of 158 medical-surgical nurses participated in completing the full Nursing Surveillance Survey.The goal of the analysis was to determine how well the dimensions represented the surveillance variable; however, based on sample size, revisions to the methods were made. Factor analysis was used to analyze each instrument's items and total representation of the variable. The instruments performed adequately in psychometric testing, and modifications were made so composite development could be achieved. The dimensions were factored as a composite variable and four of the five dimensions loaded onto a single variable, while the activities dimensions loaded separately. These results can be explained through a theoretical difference between the dimensions or limitations with the newly created Nursing Surveillance Activities Scale.This study identified a relationship between the four cognitive dimensions of nursing surveillance and their representation of the variable. Future research in nursing surveillance should analyze the role of the nursing surveillance variable, including the relationship to nursing outcomes.

Support for sustainable agriculture by farmers and consumers is increasing as environmental and socio-economic issues rise due to more intensive farm practices. Site-specific crop management is an important component of sutainable agriculture, within which remote sensing can play an integral role. Field and image data were acquired over a farm in Saskatchewan as part of a national research project to demonstrate the advantages of site-specific agriculture for farmers. This research involved the estimation of crop biophysical parameters from airborne hyperspectral imagery using Spectral Mixture Analysis (SMA), a relatively new sub-pixel scale image processing method that derives the fraction of sunlit canopy, soil and shadow that is contributing to a pixel's relectance. SMA of three crop types (peas, wheat and canola) performed slightly better than conventional vegetation indices in predicting leaf area index (LAI) and biomass using Probe-1 imagery acquired early in the growing season. Other potential advantages for SMA were also indentified, and it was conclude that future research is warranted to assess the full potential of SMA in a multi-temporal sense throughout the growing season. / xiv, 194 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 29 cm.

The thesis proposes that Strategic Planning for Information Systems (SPIS) has become ineffective through a tendency to focus on the information technologies involved. The thesis argues that the dominant rational, reductionist epistemology of SPIS methods, tools and techniques limits the effectiveness of SPIS through methodological impoverishment. The thesis proposes that a humanistic, sociotechnical perspective of SPIS accommodates the use of complementary tools and techniques that improve the process. This thesis advances a new Framework to improve the process of SPIS based on the propositions; first that the lack of sufficient knowledge of both the internal and external environment is a root cause of many of these insufficiencies, and second that this knowledge is held within the stakeholders of this process. An ernancipatory information systems research programme (Klein and Hirschheim, 1987) is used to advance a framework that overcomes the insufficiency and inadequacy of the process of strategic planning for information systems in organisations that permits information systems to fail. The framework is tested on two organisations and shows that the proposed Framework has significant potential to improve the SPIS process. The case research investigates the role of stakeholders, knowledge, and boundaries in the process of SPIS in order to develop more sufficient methods for the process of SPIS that address the perceived inadequacies in current processes, and thus provide an improved strategic planning process for information systems. Two novel tools are introduced: the Stakeholder Web and the Interaction Matrix. Their evolution is a major contribution of this research. The collection of tools presents a practical research contribution for the SPIS process and as generic (methodological) research tools. A new definition for the term 'stakeholder' is formulated and used to supply clarity in understanding for this study - and would prove useful for the field of IS.

Thesis (M.M.S.)--Carleton University, 1999. / Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Academic researchers in many disciplines are facing difficulties in disseminating their research outputs beyond the academic community. Particularly, Information Systems (IS) academic researchers have been struggling to make their research more relevant to practice. The diversity of IS research means that should be a wide audience within and beyond academia who could benefit from IS research outputs. This audience includes educators, practitioners, patients, etc. How IS relevant to practice is a central dilemma of IS research. Research relevance is classified according to dimensions such as interesting, implementable, current, accessible “Article style” by many IS scholars. These dimensions are important to be investigated as some academic papers are yet to be beneficial to an audience beyond academia. The Accessible dimension is the focus of this study where accessible means the academic papers should be readable and understood in terms of tone, style, structure, and semantics by the potential audience beyond the academic community. This study investigates the barriers that limit academic researchers in disseminating and communicating their research outputs beyond academia. This study aims to design a communication method to assist academic researchers in disseminating and communicating their research outputs beyond academia. This study consists of three phases, in the first phase a qualitative method is applied by interviewing academics in the Information System and Computing Department at Brunel University to gain a better understanding of how and why academics disseminate beyond academia. Based on communication theories a research framework is adapted to analyse and explain the interview data. In the second phase, short videos are recorded of 10 academics where each explains one of their papers. In the third phase, two different groups are interviewed to evaluate the 10 short videos in regards the Information Quality (IQ) dimensions (i.e. appropriate amount of information, format, and timeliness). By using the thematic analysis technique the academics highlighted three barriers that limit them to disseminate and communicate their research outputs beyond academia. The three barriers are the message (i.e. academic structure and language of research papers), channel (i.e. academic journal and conferences), and social system (i.e. lack of Incentives, lack of time, and lack of support). Moreover, academics emphasised the vital role of feedback loop in their communication with target audience beyond academia. The 10 short videos are designed to overcome two of these barriers (i.e. message and channels). Each short video is evaluated by its academic author on one hand and the potential audience/stakeholders of the short video from the other hand (e.g. practitioners). Thus, the academic authors of the video suggest some changes by adjusting the video structure and adding some examples for more explanations of their research papers. Also, authors concerned about format particularly the visual elements of the video which have to be completely matched with the title of the video. However, the opinions of potential audiences vary based on their information need. For example, some practitioners are concerned with the practical information, in other words, practitioners seek the applicable part of the information provided in the short video (i.e. how to apply something); and others watch the short video to increase their awareness of a particular topic. This study will assist academic researchers to focus on how to disseminate their research outputs to audience/stakeholders beyond academia using media tools (i.e. video). Also, it provides a novel method of disseminating and communicating their research outputs beyond the academic community. Moreover, this study helps to create an interaction platform that enables academic researchers to build a collaborative framework and a mutual understanding with the audience beyond academia.

Enterprise architecture is the high-level design of the entire business, facilitated by enterprise architects. "Agile enterprise architecture" is the term used in enterprise architecture to describe an architecture that caters for future unknowns, enabling change to occur rapidly without undue resource utilization, yet in a controlled manner and with minimal adverse impact. Some enterprise architects still use outdated, rigid approaches to enterprise architecture which are incompatible with today‟s business environment. In addition, there is limited research into methods that can be applied to measure the agility of enterprise architecture. The current environment is such that there is a need for a more agile approach to developing and measuring enterprise architecture. This work will lead to the creation of a Framework for The Development and Measurement of Agile Enterprise Architecture. In support of the main goal of the development of the framework, a literature review will be conducted focusing on the necessary sub-goals of the research. The first sub-goal of the literature review is to develop a comprehensive definition for enterprise architecture (referred to as EA), as well as discover how it is currently practiced. Thereafter, the literature review will investigate a comprehensive definition for agility and research why it is emerging as a critical topic. The next chapter of the literature review will research how agility fits within the context of EA, uncovering a comprehensive definition for agile EA and the best practices in agile EA development. The final chapter of the literature review will investigate suitable measurement techniques that can be used to assess the level of agility of EA. On completion of the literature review, a preliminary framework will be created using the most important contributions from the literature. An empirical study will be conducted to explore the definitions for EA, agility, agile EA, the methods to measure the agility of EA and the concepts for the development of agile EA summarised in the preliminary framework. Data analysis follows an interpretive and qualitative approach based on four case studies through interviews with systems experts in four South African organizations in one province. Each interviewee was interviewed once. The initial interview with a Principal Consultant on Enterprise Strategy Consulting at organisation # 1 formed the basis of an exploratory study; the results of which were used to refine the research instrument and preliminary framework. Thereafter, a more rigorous empirical study focused on interviews with the Chief Architect, Senior Manager in Advisory Services and an Enterprise Architect at organizations 2, 3 and 4 respectively was conducted. The research follows an inductive approach to capture the interpretive experiences of participants and develop theoretical propositions from them. Following the exploratory pilot study it became necessary to make changes to the preliminary framework and initial survey instrument created. Thereafter, the empirical study consisting of the remaining three cases was conducted to test the important aspects of the framework and literature definitions. The analysis of the results of the empirical study prompted further changes to the theoretical framework and definitions created. The interviews conducted with each of the organizations confirmed the factors for agile EA development as well as the effectiveness of the definitions created in the literature review. The research uncovered that the need for a more agile approach to developing EA and a way to measure the level of agility of EA has become more and more significant in organizations. This begins with a better understanding of EA, agility, how agility fits within the context of EA, as well as appropriate methods to measure agility.

The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting the survivability of goat kids to weaning, in a small-scale communal grazing system. Goat kids are the most vulnerable component of communal goat flocks and increasing their survival could increase productivity. Some of the main factors which contributed towards kid survivability were evaluated and ranked and cost benefit analysis was done. Initially 20 farmers in Jericho District, North West Province, were subjected to a structured interview. The mean age of farmers was 68.9 years and the mean number of does was 11. Thirteen farmers remained in the trial throughout and were visited once a month. The average number of does for farmers remained in the trial was 13. Body condition scores of does were estimated, kids were weighed, faecal samples were collected and the veld evaluated. Management and socio-economic aspects were observed and informal discussions were conducted with farmers. Goat housing was evaluated using a housing checklist. Monthly precipitation and temperature data were recorded. Survivability to weaning of 63% of kids was recorded from the total number of kids born (131) from 170 does of the 13 farmers who remained in the trial. The flocks of goats examined were parasitised by Haemonchus contortus, Trichuris globulosa, Coccidia as well as Moniezia. Although faecal egg counts were relatively low, there was a significant correlation with kid mortalities. Three of the six goats submitted for necropsy also died of internal parasites. The species of ticks were Amblyoma, Hyalomma and Rhipicephalus spp. Lice species found were identified as Bovicola caprae, Bovicola limbatus and Linognathus africanus using scanning electron microscopy. Flea infestation was observed in three flocks, the flea species was identified as Ctenocephalides felis felis. Management was found to be suboptimal and in 92.31% of flocks, housing was inadequate. Build-up of faeces and poor drainage probably contributed to internal parasites. Other factors such as climate and feeding could not be correlated to kid mortalities. Cost benefit analysis suggested that strategic de-worming and improvement of hygiene and drainage in the housing would be the most affordable and effective way to reduce mortalities in kids. / Dissertation (MSc (Veterinary Sciences))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Paraclinical Sciences / unrestricted

Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. Objective: The role of local health departments (LHDs) as a clinical service provider remains a salient topic of discussion. As local and state health departments continue to migrate away from clinical services, there is need to understand the impact on these transitions on access to care in a given community. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of clinical capacity reductions in LHDs on receipt of annual family planning visits among South Carolina women. Design: A rolling panel of women eligible for Medicaid between 2001 and 2012 was created. Receipt of an annual visit for each year of Medicaid eligibility was tracked over time. A typology reflecting changes in county capacity for clinical services was used as the independent variable. We estimated multivariate generalized estimating equation models, which examined changes in population-averaged probabilities (marginal means) of annual family planning visits over time by level of county typology. Results: Approximately 325 269 unduplicated women were included in the panel, with 25.18% receiving an annual visit in a given year. On average, receipt of annual visits in counties with notable reductions in LHD clinical capacity tended to be fewer over time (-0.022; 95% CI [confidence interval],-0.028 to-0.017) as among counties with reduced capacity that included a specific clinic closing (-0.032; 95% CI,-0.037 to-0.028). However, the magnitude of observed differences between county typologies was relatively small. Conclusions: Evidence of service discontinuity was present. However, differences occurred later in the study period following the economic recession. Our findings suggest that counties that reduced capacity did not lose ground but were unable to meet increasing demand from the economic recession relative to those that did not reduce capacity even when closing a clinic. As LHDs discontinue or significantly reduced clinical services, fulfilling the assurance role is important for transitioning women to other sources of care.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly transforming business operations and society, as AI capabilities are incorporated into applications ranging from mobile personal assistants to self-driving cars. The potentially disruptive nature of AI calls for an extensive investigation into all aspects of AI-human interactions at individual, group, organizational and market levels. However, there is paucity of academic information systems (IS) research in this area that goes beyond the development and testing of specific narrow AI capabilities. AI represents an important opportunity for organizational and behavioral IS researchers, but also presents challenges associated with the underlying complexity of AI technologies and the diversity of AI applications. Understanding how existing AI research and business practice relate to traditional areas of IS research is an important step towards creating a comprehensive behavioral and organizational AI research agenda. This dissertation seeks to achieve a dual purpose in a series of three essays. Essay 1 seeks to understand the current state of business AI research and practice in business through a quantitative literature review, relate the findings to traditional IS research areas, and identify potentially fruitful research areas for AI-focused IS research. Essays 2 and 3 seek to address specific research questions related to one of such research areas, namely, human interactions with AI enabled applications. Essay 2 focus on user experience with a chatbot, a popular AI application, and Essay 3 explores how user experiences with AI assistant apps differ from their interactions with more traditional IT artifacts.

The structure and systems of state health departments (SHD) may affect reporting of foodborne disease outbreak (FBDO) hospitalizations. Evaluation of SHD by investigating the contributions of structural capacity elements (SCE) will provide an accurate measure of performance and highlight areas for development of effective strategies for improvement. This study investigated the relationship between organizational and structural characteristics of SHD and systems for FBDO reporting, and included three manuscripts designed to address seven hypotheses, as well as a conclusion chapter interpreting the findings as they relate to the overall research question. Study findings identified consistently higher reports of hospitalization due to foodborne illness from third party payers compared to SHDs between 2006 and 2009 in 30 of the 31 states analyzed. Furthermore, significantly different rates of reporting among states with mixed governance classification were seen when compared to those with centralized and decentralized governance; associations between total laboratory expenditures and total food-related hospitalizations reported were also identified when analyzing healthcare claims data. This dissertation contributes to the current knowledge base for public health services and systems research, as well as food safety surveillance and reporting, and provides an innovative approach to using secondary databases to investigate food safety issues. Findings support the conclusion that collaboration between public and private agencies would support improvements in data collection and foodborne illness surveillance. / Public Health