In the Quest for the Motivation App: Designing Effective Behavior Change Apps Through the Lens of the Self-Determination Theory

Mobile apps are used to support behavior change goals (e.g., stopping a lousy habit, increasing the physical activity frequency, or learning a new skill). Because these apps are pervasive, they are great tools to reach and help people in their self-improvement path towards better habits and well-being. However, users of these apps fail to reach their objectives because they lack the motivation to attain their goals. App creators might help to support motivation by integrating human motivation theories into their designs. Still, not many apps are theory- grounded. To address this issue, we organized our research around a comprehensive human motivation theory: The Self-Determination Theory (SDT). We explored three research streams: (1) developing an artifact that maps market app features to support the SDT Basic Psychological Needs (BPNs); (2) creating an SDT inspired physical activity app that provided empirical evidence that its design supported the BPNs; (3) providing empirical evidence of an SDT inspired app design that contributes to increasing the physical activity and motivation of individuals. The results of our studies show that the SDT can inform the design of behavior change app features. Moreover, these SDT inspired features can be used to create a physical activity app that improves individuals’ intrinsic motivation and physical activity level. This thesis results have practical implications for app designers, policymakers, and health practitioners whose interest lies in creating theory-informed and effective behavior change apps. -- Les applications mobiles sont utilisées pour les objectifs de changement de comportements (par exemple, arrêter une mauvaise habitude, augmenter la fréquence d’activités physiques ou apprendre une nouvelle compétence). Comme ces applications sont omniprésentes, elles constituent d’excellents outils pour atteindre et aider les gens dans leur chemin vers de meilleures habitudes et bien-être. Cependant, les utilisateurs de ces applications ne parviennent pas à atteindre leurs objectifs car ils manquent de motivation pour y parvenir. Les créateurs d’applications pourraient contribuer à soutenir leur mo- tivation en intégrant les théories basées sur la motivation humaine dans leurs conceptions. Pourtant, peu d’applications sont fondées sur ces théories. Pour résoudre ce problème, nous avons organisé notre recherche autour d’une théorie globale de la motivation humaine : La théorie de l’autodétermination (SDT). Nous avons exploré trois axes de recherche : (1) le développement d’un artefact qui met en correspondance les caractéristiques des applications du marché avec les besoins psychologiques fondamentaux (BPN) de SDT ; (2) la création d’une application d’activité physique basée sur SDT qui fournit des preuves empiriques que sa conception soutient les BPN ; (3) donner des preuves empiriques d’une conception d’application inspirée de SDT qui contribue à augmenter l’activité physique et la motivation des individus. Les résultats de nos études montrent que SDT peut servir de base à la conception de fonctionnalités d’application pour les changements comportementaux. De plus, ces caractéristiques inspirées de SDT peuvent être utilisées pour créer une application d’activité physique qui améliore la motivation personnelle et le niveau d’activité physique des individus. Les résultats de cette thèse ont des implications pratiques pour les créateurs d’applications, les responables politiques et les médecins de la santé qui s’intéressent à la création d’applications efficaces et fondées sur cette théorie de la modification du comportement

A complex systems approach to connectivity to international markets

PhD ThesisImproving connectivity is increasingly a topic at the centre of the international trade and transport policy agendas. An examination on available documents and studies in both the policy-making and the academic fields shows that the concept of connectivity has often been defined in different ways, and thus has taken a variety of meanings. This poses the questions: what is freight connectivity?; what are its determinants in the context of international trade? The researcher is not aware of any study that has analysed, in a comprehensive and systematic way, the different perspectives, determinants and measures of connectivity to international markets. Using a mixed-methods approach that includes a systematic literature review encompassing literature in the fields of Transport Engineering and Economics, International Economics, Supply Chain Management, Physics and Transport Geography; a survey and in-depth interviews in three countries; comparative analysis of connectivity metrics in a variety of fields; and network analysis of over 100 networks, this Dissertation contributes to fill this gap by providing: (i) a complex systems approach to connectivity to international markets; (ii) a comprehensive definition of connectivity to international markets which encompasses the different factors that influence it; and (iii) a novel method to assess connectivity to international markets using network analysis. Further contributions of this research include insights on the multi-layered characteristics of both international trade flows and its support system; the perspective of emerging economies; and the study of a region – the Americas – mostly overlooked by the literature on complex systems applied to trade and transport networks. It is expected that a multi-disciplinary, comprehensive and more precise understanding and assessment of the determinants of connectivity will contribute to identify and design more effective policies to address barriers impeding the fast, smooth access to international markets, as well as guide future multi-disciplinary research and analysis in academia and policy-making

Osteodistraction: Clinical applications in maxillofacial reconstructive surgery

Current standards in implant dentistry aim to provide natural prosthetic restorations with the finest esthetic and functional outcomes. Several parameters have been suggested in order to achieve gold-standard results: adequate bone height, width, antero-posterior projection, adequate soft tissue quantity and quality, preservation of buccal sulcus, adequate papillae, and gingival contour. Thus the preservation and reconstruction of the alveolar bone and surrounding soft tissues for the placement of dental implants has become one of the bases of the contemporary practice of oral and maxillofacial surgery. Since its introduction in 1996, alveolar distraction osteogenesis has been considered a viable technique for reconstruction of alveolar bone prior to implant placement Alveolar distraction is a technique in constant evolution. A review of literature within the past 14 years reveal that clear indications for its use exist with outcomes similar and sometimes even more predictable than traditional bone grafting techniques in preparation for implant placement. Although, complications also exist with alveolar distraction, it seems that the majority of them are minor and easy to manage. Appropriate patient selection and a better understanding of the technique are paramount in successful bone regeneration with alveolar distraction osteogenesis. In this way we present three studies with three majors objectives 1º-To determine the implant stability in osseodistraction-generated bone after a 2-month consolidation period, assessed by resonance frequency analysis Conclusion: under the limitations of this study, osseodistraction offers –after a 2 month consolidation period- a high primary and secondary stabilities after implant placement. 2º To determine the feasibility of the transport distraction osteogenesis on the reconstruction of the maxillary defects of oncologic patients Conclusion: Transport distraction osteogeneis can be considered a recommendable reconstructive option after oral cancer treatment –including radiotherapy- particularly for high-surgical-risk, collaborative patients. In the early ages of the technique, many case series reported high percentages of complications, mostly minor in nature. Many of these complications could have been minimized by a comprehensive treatment planning. 3º To determine if three-dimensional image studies and stererolithografic models ease surgical planning and improve the final results of the treatment. Conclusion: Using of computadorized-aided planning does not avoid the necessity of other techniques of planning and vector control during the distraction treatment

A Telehealth Simulation Experiment: Exploring Prebriefing

The COVID pandemic led to a sudden expansion of telehealth in the delivery of nursing services. At the same time, nursing education was forced to extend clinical learning to online approaches. However, telehealth clinical experiences are limited in the nursing curricula of entry-level programs. Nursing simulation is an educational activity that prepares students for clinical practice by supporting the learning of fundamental clinical competencies. This study was designed to explore prebriefing methods for simulation to prepare entry-level nursing students for telehealth patient care visits. Standardized patient (SP) methodology was used to simulate a telehealth video conferencing call for an infectious disease case interview. Simulations were conducted remotely using Zoom technology with breakout rooms adhering to Healthcare Simulation Standards of Best PracticeTM, and informed by NLN Jeffries Simulation Theory and Experiential Learning Theory. The experiment compared two different methods for prebriefing: traditional prebriefing with a narrated script and structured prebriefing with a narration script plus learners viewed a role modeling video and participated in guided reflection. Participants from one private university in the Northeast (N =126) were randomized and simulations took place over one semester. In conclusion, the standardized patient simulations were an effective teaching strategy for developing fundamental telehealth skills of therapeutic communication and confidence with patient safety. Learners in the structured prebriefing group had significantly higher scores for confidence in quality and safety, faculty assessed therapeutic communication, and simulation effectiveness. There were significant improvements of therapeutic communication scores over time for both groups, but there were no differences between groups. Future research might extend the explanations of how to best prepare learners for telehealth experiences; it is important to further explore telehealth clinical competencies with entry-level nursing students

The Effects of Process Quality Management and Information Technology to Product Quality Performance with Management Accounting System as Intervening (A Case Study of Manufacture Companies Listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange)

Phenomenon that occurs at this time related to the product is that the quality of the resulting product is not in accordance with established standards and have not been performed well, with the sense that the products produced are still many defects, reworked, waste products, and many complaints or even the claims of customers. Results of previous studies showed different results, namely that the Process Quality Management (PQM) does not affect the Products Quality Performance (PQP), due to the lack of involvement of Management Accounting Systems (MAS) in the link between PQM and PQP. In addition, research related to MAS which addresses the relationship between Information Technology (IT) and PQM to product quality is still lack. This research is going to empirically examine the effects of PQM and IT to PQP with MAS as intervening variable using path analysis. This research was conducted at the manufacture companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2013 with the analysis unit employees who work associated with the production process.The results found that IT can directly affect PQP and also be affected indirectly, from IT to MAS (as intervening) and then to the PQP. From the path analysis can also be concluded that the presence of significant coefficients mediation, means that there is an influence of mediation. Test results concluded that the PQM and IT with MAS as intervening variable in overall/simultaneous significant gives effect on PQP manufacturing companies. However, it turns out to be partially IT variables with no significant effect on PQP. Nevertheless, the company's management should remain consistently to use and improve the IT, considering the results of previous trials that IT, both directly and through a MAS as an intervening variable effect on PQP, so the products can be well accepted by customers and exceeding customer expectations. Keywords: Information Technology, Management Accounting System, Process Quality Management, Products Quality Performanc

Book Reviews

Review of New Perspectives in Archeology, by Sally R. Binford and Lewis R. Binford, eds.; The Archaeology of Ancient China, by Kwang-chih Chang; Prehistoric Animals and Their Hunters, by I. W. Cornwall; Contes Malgaches en Dialecte Sakalava: Textes, Traduction, Grammaire et Lexique, by Otto Chr. Dahl; An Ethnographic Bibliography of New Guinea; Archaeology on the Island of Mo'orea, French Polynesia, by Roger C. Green, Kaye Green, Roy Rappaport, Ann Rappaport, and Janet Davidson; Polynesian Culture History: Essays in Honor of Kenneth P. Emory, by Genevieve A. Highland, et al.; Computer Analysis of Chronological Seriation, by Frank Hole and Mary Shaw; Prehistoric Japanese Arts: Jomon Pottery, by J. Edward Kidder and Teruya Esaka; A Selected and Annotated Bibliography of Korean Anthropology, by Eugene I. Knez and Chang-Su Swanson; Die Religionen der Sudsee und Australiens, by Hans Nevermann, Ernest A. Worms, and Helmut Petri; Geschichte und Sozialordnung der Sherpa, by Michael Oppitz; The Vermilion Bird: T'ang Images of the South, by Edward H. Schafer; Fijian Material Culture: A Study of Cultural Context, Function, and Change, by Alan Richard Tippett

Keeping Nebraska in Fashion: The Success of Postwar Custom Dressmaker Ilona Dorenter Berk

Keeping Nebraska in Fashion: The Success of Postwar Custom Dressmaker Ilona Dorenter Berk examines the life and work of previously undocumented Midwestern dressmaker Ilona Berk. Through the interdisciplinary study of three vital components in the entrepreneurial dressmaking business of Ilona; who worked out of her home in Lincoln, Nebraska from 1953 to approximately 2000; research establishes her as a significant contributor to the fashion system of the twentieth century, and an important figure in Midwestern costume history. Components chosen for the study are: Ilona’s unique personal characteristics, the global and regional fashion systems she worked within, and the garments she designed and created. The comprehensive method of study is qualitative examination via published scholarly works, archival public records, oral interviews, and object-based analysis. Results of the study are presented as: a partial biography of Ilona, summary tables of her methods, and a modified E. McClung Fleming method group artifact analysis. Discussion includes a comparison of Ilona and her work to documented characteristics of successful female immigrant entrepreneurs, Jewish Holocaust survivor immigrants, custom dressmakers, and couture garments. Advisor: Barbara Trou

Distance magic-type and distance antimagic-type labelings of graphs

Generally speaking, a distance magic-type labeling of a graph G of order n is a bijection f from the vertex set of the graph to the first n natural numbers or to the elements of a group of order n, with the property that the weight of each vertex is the same. The weight of a vertex x is defined as the sum (or appropriate group operation) of all the labels of vertices adjacent to x. If instead we require that all weights differ, then we refer to the labeling as a distance antimagic-type labeling. This idea can be generalized for directed graphs; the weight will take into consideration the direction of the arcs. In this manuscript, we provide new results for d-handicap labeling, a distance antimagic-type labeling, and introduce a new distance magic-type labeling called orientable Gamma-distance magic labeling. A d-handicap distance antimagic labeling (or just d-handicap labeling for short) of a graph G=(V,E) of order n is a bijection f from V to {1,2,...,n} with induced weight function w(x_{i})=\underset{x_{j}\in N(x_{i})}{\sum}f(x_{j}) \] such that f(x_{i})=i and the sequence of weights w(x_{1}),w(x_{2}),...,w(x_{n}) forms an arithmetic sequence with constant difference d at least 1. If a graph G admits a d-handicap labeling, we say G is a d-handicap graph. A d-handicap incomplete tournament, H(n,k,d) is an incomplete tournament of n teams ranked with the first n natural numbers such that each team plays exactly k games and the strength of schedule of the ith ranked team is d more than the i+1st ranked team. That is, strength of schedule increases arithmetically with strength of team. Constructing an H(n,k,d) is equivalent to finding a d-handicap labeling of a k-regular graph of order n. In Chapter 2 we provide general constructions for every d at least 1 for large classes of both n and k, providing breadth and depth to the catalog of known H(n,k,d)\u27s. In Chapters 3 - 6, we introduce a new type of labeling called orientable Gamma-distance magic labeling. Let Gamma be an abelian group of order n. If for a graph G=(V,E) of order n there exists an orientation of G and a companion bijection f from V to Gamma with the property that there is an element mu in Gamma (called the magic constant) such that \[ w(x)=\sum_{y\in N_{G}^{+}(x)}\overrightarrow{f}(y)-\sum_{y\in N_{G}^{-}(x)}\overrightarrow{f}(y)=\mu for every x in V where w(x) is the weight of vertex x, we say that G is orientable Gamma-distance magic}. In addition to introducing the concept, we provide numerous results on orientable Z_n distance magic graphs, where Z_n is the cyclic group of order n. In Chapter 7, we summarize the results of this dissertation and provide suggestions for future work

The role of simulation and moulage on emotional labour in first-year diagnostic radiography students when seeing open wounds in a clinical setting

Abstract Background Transitioning from academia to clinical practice can be a challenging period for first-year diagnostic radiography students. Their reactions and behaviours when working with patients with visible conditions have the potential to make a lasting impact on the patient. The practice of emotional labour is used to display an organisationally acceptable demeanour; however, it is associated with burnout. There is limited research into the emotions experienced when student radiographers meet patients with open wounds. This research evaluates the use of a simulation using moulage in preparing students for these encounters in advance of clinical placement. Methodology This research used a longitudinal quasi-experimental design and mixed methods approach. Students (n=97) were randomised into a control and simulation group. The simulation group participated in a simulation incorporating moulage. Their role was to support the imaging of a patient who had suffered an open fracture. Quantitative data was collected before and during placement using Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) to measure student feelings upon seeing an open wound. Qualitative data was collected at two stages. Firstly, twenty-four small focus groups (n=5) were conducted at the debrief stage of the simulation and were analysed using thematic analysis. Secondly, semi-structured interviews were conducted with students (n=7) following their experience seeing an open wound in clinical practice. These were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). All three stems of data collection were then triangulated to identify new meta-inferences. Results Statistically significant changes were identified following the simulation, with improved emotional preparedness and a reduction in negatively valenced emotions. This emotional trend was sustained into clinical practice, but the level of feelings aligned with the students in the control group. Following the simulation debrief, six themes were identified: emotion, realistic simulation, pain, difficulty communicating, developing teamwork and patient-centred care. Five superordinate themes emerged from the IPA interviews: experiencing a new environment, navigating new relationships, preparation, engagement with wound, and emotional management. Through a process of triangulation, meta-inferences were discussed under the following headings: simulation to reality, knowledge is power and emotional support. Conclusion The simulation provided students with the experience of seeing an open wound ahead of clinical practice, thus improving their emotional preparedness and reducing their anxiety. The use of moulage enhanced the authenticity of the simulation promoting a similar emotional reaction to those experienced in a real situation. Students gained a better understanding of their role in providing quality patient-centred care, allowing them to consider adjustments to their practice and behaviours before working with real patients. Peer support and teamwork were developed through the simulation, and this was sustained into clinical practice. During clinical placement, students found a lack of information relating to the patient pathway contributed to a lack of closure. This was emotionally challenging. Evidence indicates the implementation of a simulation using moulage, would have a positive impact on emotional labour, improving the student and patient experience