Collaboration for Success in Young Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury

Aim. The aim of this study was to explore self-efficacy and success in young adult survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and provide the opportunity for participants to communicate their perceptions, thoughts, emotions, and concerns. Background. Many of those affected by TBI are young adults who are establishing their social and work lives. Young adults face challenges and choices that are pivotal in establishing a course for their lifetime. Self-efficacy theory provided the conceptual framework for the study. The TBI Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and General Self-Efficacy Scale were used to measure self-efficacy, and the Glasgow Outcomes Scale-Extended was used to measure outcomes after TBI and situate qualitative data in the context of known scales of measurement. Methods. The research was approached as a collective instrumental case study delving deeply into the complexity of each case, using ethnographic methods, in the milieu of a collaborative orientation. Ethnographic methods directed attention to the everyday lives and contexts of the participants. Triangulation with established quantitative instruments vii increased descriptive validity and strengthened reliability of the study. The collaborative orientation influenced the author to consider barriers to and facilitators of success. Findings. The context and setting of the human experience of recovery and adaptation in the 2 young adult participants at 9 and 12 months after a TBI were critically analyzed from interviews and descriptive questionnaires. The research questions evoked participants voices and focused awareness on the challenges and transformation associated with their TBI and the role of family in recovery. Self-efficacy and success theory illuminated the process of achieving success and life satisfaction after TBI. Barriers to health, independence, connectivity, mobility, and productivity were some of the challenges faced by participants. Success in navigating the barriers was found to be crucial to continuing life patterns of self-belief and confidence. Conclusions. This study comprised a needs assessment phase of collaborative research and has potential to become foundational in developing a self-management program targeted to optimizing health, self-efficacy, and success. Young adult survivors of TBI may benefit from ongoing collaborative research, improved health care access, comprehensive care planning, and educational content designed to facilitate self-efficacy and success

TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF LEADERSHIP SUPPORT FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN URBAN MIDDLE SCHOOLS

This qualitative multi-site case study examined teachers’ perceptions of leadership support for their implementation of a learning management system (LMS) to facilitate blended learning in urban middle schools. Understanding teachers’ perceptions of leadership actions to encourage the implementation of new innovations will allow leaders to provide materials, resources, and support to effectively increase the incorporation of blended learning in classrooms. Qualitative data were collected through interview sessions with 10 middle school educators who taught at two dichotomous schools. The data was triangulated with artifacts and the research literature to provide an in-depth depiction of the perceptions and experiences of teachers who have used an LMS in classroom instruction. Findings showed that strong organizational infrastructures are needed for teachers to adopt an LMS for instruction. Additional findings included the need for ongoing and consistent coaching support for successful LMS implementation. The study also showed that teachers’ perceived administrators who incorporated the components of systems thinking as supportive instructional leaders. The case study findings revealed a need for additional research in the fields of systems thinking educational leadership, instructional coaching, and community responsiveness

Scene Reconstruction from Multi-Scale Input Data

Geometry acquisition of real-world objects by means of 3D scanning or stereo reconstruction constitutes a very important and challenging problem in computer vision. 3D scanners and stereo algorithms usually provide geometry from one viewpoint only, and several of the these scans need to be merged into one consistent representation. Scanner data generally has lower noise levels than stereo methods and the scanning scenario is more controlled. In image-based stereo approaches, the aim is to reconstruct the 3D surface of an object solely from multiple photos of the object. In many cases, the stereo geometry is contaminated with noise and outliers, and exhibits large variations in scale. Approaches that fuse such data into one consistent surface must be resilient to such imperfections. In this thesis, we take a closer look at geometry reconstruction using both scanner data and the more challenging image-based scene reconstruction approaches. In particular, this work focuses on the uncontrolled setting where the input images are not constrained, may be taken with different camera models, under different lighting and weather conditions, and from vastly different points of view. A typical dataset contains many views that observe the scene from an overview perspective, and relatively few views capture small details of the geometry. What results from these datasets are surface samples of the scene with vastly different resolution. As we will show in this thesis, the multi-resolution, or, "multi-scale" nature of the input is a relevant aspect for surface reconstruction, which has rarely been considered in literature yet. Integrating scale as additional information in the reconstruction process can make a substantial difference in surface quality. We develop and study two different approaches for surface reconstruction that are able to cope with the challenges resulting from uncontrolled images. The first approach implements surface reconstruction by fusion of depth maps using a multi-scale hierarchical signed distance function. The hierarchical representation allows fusion of multi-resolution depth maps without mixing geometric information at incompatible scales, which preserves detail in high-resolution regions. An incomplete octree is constructed by incrementally adding triangulated depth maps to the hierarchy, which leads to scattered samples of the multi-resolution signed distance function. A continuous representation of the scattered data is defined by constructing a tetrahedral complex, and a final, highly-adaptive surface is extracted by applying the Marching Tetrahedra algorithm. A second, point-based approach is based on a more abstract, multi-scale implicit function defined as a sum of basis functions. Each input sample contributes a single basis function which is parameterized solely by the sample's attributes, effectively yielding a parameter-free method. Because the scale of each sample controls the size of the basis function, the method automatically adapts to data redundancy for noise reduction and is highly resilient to the quality-degrading effects of low-resolution samples, thus favoring high-resolution surfaces. Furthermore, we present a robust, image-based reconstruction system for surface modeling: MVE, the Multi-View Environment. The implementation provides all steps involved in the pipeline: Calibration and registration of the input images, dense geometry reconstruction by means of stereo, a surface reconstruction step and post-processing, such as remeshing and texturing. In contrast to other software solutions for image-based reconstruction, MVE handles large, uncontrolled, multi-scale datasets as well as input from more controlled capture scenarios. The reason lies in the particular choice of the multi-view stereo and surface reconstruction algorithms. The resulting surfaces are represented using a triangular mesh, which is a piecewise linear approximation to the real surface. The individual triangles are often so small that they barely contribute any geometric information and can be ill-shaped, which can cause numerical problems. A surface remeshing approach is introduced which changes the surface discretization such that more favorable triangles are created. It distributes the vertices of the mesh according to a density function, which is derived from the curvature of the geometry. Such a mesh is better suited for further processing and has reduced storage requirements. We thoroughly compare the developed methods against the state-of-the art and also perform a qualitative evaluation of the two surface reconstruction methods on a wide range of datasets with different properties. The usefulness of the remeshing approach is demonstrated on both scanner and multi-view stereo data

Methods for 3D Geometry Processing in the Cultural Heritage Domain

This thesis presents methods for 3D geometry processing under the aspects of cultural heritage applications. After a short overview over the relevant basics in 3D geometry processing, the present thesis investigates the digital acquisition of 3D models. A particular challenge in this context are on the one hand difficult surface or material properties of the model to be captured. On the other hand, the fully automatic reconstruction of models even with suitable surface properties that can be captured with Laser range scanners is not yet completely solved. This thesis presents two approaches to tackle these challenges. One exploits a thorough capture of the object’s appearance and a coarse reconstruction for a concise and realistic object representation even for objects with problematic surface properties like reflectivity and transparency. The other method concentrates on digitisation via Laser-range scanners and exploits 2D colour images that are typically recorded with the range images for a fully automatic registration technique. After reconstruction, the captured models are often still incomplete, exhibit holes and/or regions of insufficient sampling. In addition to that, holes are often deliberately introduced into a registered model to remove some undesired or defective surface part. In order to produce a visually appealing model, for instance for visualisation purposes, for prototype or replica production, these holes have to be detected and filled. Although completion is a well-established research field in 2D image processing and many approaches do exist for image completion, surface completion in 3D is a fairly new field of research. This thesis presents a hierarchical completion approach that employs and extends successful exemplar-based 2D image processing approaches to 3D and fills in detail-equipped surface patches into missing surface regions. In order to identify and construct suitable surface patches, selfsimilarity and coherence properties of the surface context of the hole are exploited. In addition to the reconstruction and repair, the present thesis also investigates methods for a modification of captured models via interactive modelling. In this context, modelling is regarded as a creative process, for instance for animation purposes. On the other hand, it is also demonstrated how this creative process can be used to introduce human expertise into the otherwise automatic completion process. This way, reconstructions are feasible even of objects where already the data source, the object itself, is incomplete due to corrosion, demolition, or decay.Methoden zur 3D-Geometrieverarbeitung im Kulturerbesektor In dieser Arbeit werden Methoden zur Bearbeitung von digitaler 3D-Geometrie unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Anwendungsbereichs im Kulturerbesektor vorgestellt. Nach einem kurzen Überblick über die relevanten Grundlagen der dreidimensionalen Geometriebehandlung wird zunächst die digitale Akquise von dreidimensionalen Objekten untersucht. Eine besondere Herausforderung stellen bei der Erfassung einerseits ungünstige Oberflächen- oder Materialeigenschaften der Objekte dar (wie z.B. Reflexivität oder Transparenz), andererseits ist auch die vollautomatische Rekonstruktion von solchen Modellen, die sich verhältnismäßig problemlos mit Laser-Range Scannern erfassen lassen, immer noch nicht vollständig gelöst. Daher bilden zwei neuartige Verfahren, die diesen Herausforderungen begegnen, den Anfang. Auch nach der Registrierung sind die erfassten Datensätze in vielen Fällen unvollständig, weisen Löcher oder nicht ausreichend abgetastete Regionen auf. Darüber hinaus werden in vielen Anwendungen auch, z.B. durch Entfernen unerwünschter Oberflächenregionen, Löcher gewollt hinzugefügt. Für eine optisch ansprechende Rekonstruktion, vor allem zu Visualisierungszwecken, im Bildungs- oder Unterhaltungssektor oder zur Prototyp- und Replik-Erzeugung müssen diese Löcher zunächst automatisch detektiert und anschließend geschlossen werden. Obwohl dies im zweidimensionalen Fall der Bildbearbeitung bereits ein gut untersuchtes Forschungsfeld darstellt und vielfältige Ansätze zur automatischen Bildvervollständigung existieren, ist die Lage im dreidimensionalen Fall anders, und die Übertragung von zweidimensionalen Ansätzen in den 3D stellt vielfach eine große Herausforderung dar, die bislang keine zufriedenstellenden Lösungen erlaubt hat. Nichtsdestoweniger wird in dieser Arbeit ein hierarchisches Verfahren vorgestellt, das beispielbasierte Konzepte aus dem 2D aufgreift und Löcher in Oberflächen im 3D unter Ausnutzung von Selbstähnlichkeiten und Kohärenzeigenschaften des Oberflächenkontextes schließt. Um plausible Oberflächen zu erzeugen werden die Löcher dabei nicht nur glatt gefüllt, sondern auch feinere Details aus dem Kontext rekonstruiert. Abschließend untersucht die vorliegende Arbeit noch die Modifikation der vervollständigten Objekte durch Freiformmodellierung. Dies wird dabei zum einen als kreativer Prozess z.B. zu Animationszwecken betrachtet. Zum anderen wird aber auch untersucht, wie dieser kreative Prozess benutzt werden kann, um etwaig vorhandenes Expertenwissen in die ansonsten automatische Vervollständigung mit einfließen zu lassen. Auf diese Weise werden auch Rekonstruktionen ermöglicht von Objekten, bei denen schon die Datenquelle, also das Objekt selbst z.B. durch Korrosion oder mutwillige Zerstörung unvollständig ist

RETHINKING UNIVERSITY SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: AN ACTION RESEARCH APPROACH

Universities historically have been regarded as economic drivers in their local communities, and their potential influence on the broader regional economy is a growing area of interest. Yet, institutions are lagging in strategically managing their role in economic development while depending on business, government, and university leaders to improve the fiscal position of the locals. Rigid societal norms in academia permeate power differences amongst faculty that complicate mid-level leaders' abilities to make strategic decisions for broader regional impact. This thesis unfolds a scholar-practitioner journey of a mid-level faculty leader at a small-town regional institution that grappled with finding a voice among more tenured faculty while trying to make a difference in the community (Weick, 1995; Rouleau, 2005; Luscher and Lewis, 2008). Hence, by integrating interlevel dynamics and scholastic methods, this mixed-methods action research (MMAR) thesis contributed to organizational learning of programmatic coordination to refocus the business school agenda to pitch in towards greater economic recovery efforts. The local financial crisis caused a sense of urgency to eschew pre-processed university models to play a role in economic revitalization, which justifies the importance of this research. Hence, this thesis set out to pragmatically identify regional development needs and understand the Texarkana workforce to create a flexible university model and rethink educational offerings to address the region's unique needs. This study documents living amid knowledge transfer, economic development, and action research theories to initiate a pragmatic response by creating an innovative economic university model malleable to the needs of the local ecosystem (Argyris, 1993; Gibbons et al., 1994; Coghlan, 2003; Buchanan and Bryman, 2007; Karpov, 2017). Additionally, this thesis provides a step-by-step framework for university leaders to refocus agendas towards economic growth. One action research cycle in this thesis encompassed phases of construction, planning, action, and evaluation. The themes and actionable knowledge that emerged from the first and second phases guided the third, which initiated the change process. This MMAR study determined key issues in the region from quantitative and qualitative data to cross-validate multiple sources of evidence to identify the critical issues needing to be addressed with supply chain management programs and services. The planning of action, which occurred during phase three, drove immediate results in focusing the supply chain management departmental agenda on managing economic crises. Thus, how my department, institution, and society respond to economic needs achieved impact by bringing forth a university economic development model that is flexible to changing economic landscapes. Equally important, this research developed a framework for university leaders aligning local business, civic, and governmental initiatives to play a role in economic growth. The implication of not reconstructing higher education in this way is that both the university and region will be ill-equipped during a financial crisis

2D and 3D surface image processing algorithms and their applications

This doctoral dissertation work aims to develop algorithms for 2D image segmentation application of solar filament disappearance detection, 3D mesh simplification, and 3D image warping in pre-surgery simulation. Filament area detection in solar images is an image segmentation problem. A thresholding and region growing combined method is proposed and applied in this application. Based on the filament area detection results, filament disappearances are reported in real time. The solar images in 1999 are processed with this proposed system and three statistical results of filaments are presented. 3D images can be obtained by passive and active range sensing. An image registration process finds the transformation between each pair of range views. To model an object, a common reference frame in which all views can be transformed must be defined. After the registration, the range views should be integrated into a non-redundant model. Optimization is necessary to obtain a complete 3D model. One single surface representation can better fit to the data. It may be further simplified for rendering, storing and transmitting efficiently, or the representation can be converted to some other formats. This work proposes an efficient algorithm for solving the mesh simplification problem, approximating an arbitrary mesh by a simplified mesh. The algorithm uses Root Mean Square distance error metric to decide the facet curvature. Two vertices of one edge and the surrounding vertices decide the average plane. The simplification results are excellent and the computation speed is fast. The algorithm is compared with six other major simplification algorithms. Image morphing is used for all methods that gradually and continuously deform a source image into a target image, while producing the in-between models. Image warping is a continuous deformation of a: graphical object. A morphing process is usually composed of warping and interpolation. This work develops a direct-manipulation-of-free-form-deformation-based method and application for pre-surgical planning. The developed user interface provides a friendly interactive tool in the plastic surgery. Nose augmentation surgery is presented as an example. Displacement vector and lattices resulting in different resolution are used to obtain various deformation results. During the deformation, the volume change of the model is also considered based on a simplified skin-muscle model

Authentic alignment : toward an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) informed model of the learning environment in health professions education

It is well established that the goals of education can only be achieved through the constructive alignment of instruction, learning and assessment. There is a gap in research interpreting the lived experiences of stakeholders within the UK learning environment toward understanding the real impact – authenticity – of curricular alignment. This investigation uses a critical realist framework to explore the emergent quality of authenticity as a function of alignment.This project deals broadly with alignment of anatomy pedagogy within UK undergraduate medical education. The thread of alignment is woven through four aims: 1) to understand the alignment of anatomy within the medical curriculum via the relationships of its stakeholders; 2) to explore the apparent complexity of the learning environment (LE); 3) to generate a critical evaluation of the methodology, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis as an approach appropriate for realist research in the complex fields of medical and health professions education; 4) to propose a functional, authentic model of the learning environment.Findings indicate that the complexity and uncertainty inherent in the LE can be reflected in spatiotemporal models. Findings meet the thesis aims, suggesting: 1) the alignment of anatomy within the medical curriculum is complex and forms a multiplicity of perspectives; 2) this complexity is ripe for phenomenological exploration; 3) IPA is particularly suitable for realist research exploring complexity in HPE; 4) Authentic Alignment theory offers a spatiotemporal model of the complex HPE learning environment:the T-icosa

Changing Vulnerabilities in a Changing Climate: Farming Opportunity and Constraint in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania

This dissertation demonstrates that the vulnerability of households to both socioeconomic and environmental processes is found in unequal, differentiated ability to access the means of social production and reproduction. Place specific environmental and social factors co-produce specific manifestations of vulnerability, but the underlying causes and driving forces are to be found in the social formation and social relations of households in the case study area. The major finding of this dissertation is that changes in the social relations of production and reproduction are creating as much risk to livelihoods as climate change does, or is likely to do in the future. Vulnerability is not necessarily caused at all by a changing climate, rather it is found in the daily struggles over social production and reproduction. Most so called \u27environmental sources of vulnerability\u27 are not experienced equally, and their ultimate roots are found not in the \u27natural\u27 environment but in social relations. Household exposure and vulnerability to drought varied hugely over small distances, suggesting that environmental conditions do not affect all households equally. Vulnerabilities are experienced locally but are generated in socially scaled processes beyond household control

A framework for hull form reverse engineering and geometry integration into numerical simulations

The thesis presents a ship hull form specific reverse engineering and CAD integration framework. The reverse engineering part proposes three alternative suitable reconstruction approaches namely curves network, direct surface fitting, and triangulated surface reconstruction. The CAD integration part includes surface healing, region identification, and domain preparation strategies which used to adapt the CAD model to downstream application requirements. In general, the developed framework bridges a point cloud and a CAD model obtained from IGES and STL file into downstream applications