Title of Work: Increasing Education on Nonfatal Strangulation to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners

The prevalence of nonfatal strangulation in sexual assault cases is approximately 7.4 to 12 percent, and following strangulation, the victim is seven times more likely to be killed by the assailant. The sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) is the primary caretaker for patients of sexual assault but is ill-equipped to address strangulation concerns. The SANE\u27s comprehensive medical forensic exam allows the opportunity to discuss the assault while maintaining a nonjudgmental environment free from re-traumatization. The purpose of this project is to address the lack of knowledge on the short- and long-term effects of nonfatal strangulations to SANE’s in a large metropolitan trauma center and then for the SANE’s to be able to translate their knowledge into accurate, descriptive documentation. Knowles\u27s adult learning theory will guide the project to be self-determined, respectful, and address all learning styles. An initial assessment of perceived self-confidence will be given to the SANEs and address their comfortability in caring for patients reporting nonfatal strangulation. After the survey, there is self-guided education in the form of a PowerPoint, weekly education, and office hours, including mock exams, for any follow-up questions the SANE’s may have in their regularly scheduled shifts. After the educational opportunity, the nurses will be given a post-survey with the same questions as the pre-survey. The goal is to improve the nurse\u27s self-perceived confidence in caring for the patient that reports strangulation. Another marker of project success is comprehensive documentation regarding the strangulation attempt and imaging orders to assess for internal injuries. The results conclude that the SANE’s felt more confident following the educational opportunities

Improving the Isotropy of Additively Manufactured Parts by Fused Deposition Modeling: From Polymeric Self-Assembly to Reactive Processing

This dissertation focuses on understanding how the interfacial segregation of low molecular weight polymeric species in a polymer blend impacts the interlayer adhesion and mechanical isotropy of objects prepared by fused deposition modeling (FDM), a widely used additive manufacturing technique. The molecular weight, architecture, and chemical identity of the low molecular weight polymer in the blend dramatically impacts the formation of a robust interlayer interface. Additional modification of the low molecular weight component presents opportunities for reactive processing. The impact of covalent bonds between interfacial layers on the interlayer adhesion and overall isotropy of an FDM printed object is examined

Fast Rotation vs. Metallicity

Fast rotation seems to be the major factor to trigger the Be phenomenon. Surface fast rotation can be favored by initial formation conditions such as metal abundance. Models of fast rotating atmospheres and evolutionary tracks are used to determine the stellar fundamental parameters of 120 Be stars situated in spatially well-separated regions to imply there is between them some gradient of metallicity. We study the effects of the incidence of this gradient on the nature of the studied stars as fast rotators.Comment: Societe Francaise d'Astronomie et d'Astrophysique, France (2005

Burnt Out Educators: A Phenomenological Study of Minnesota Teachers

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain an understanding of how Minnesota teachers have experienced and define teacher burnout. Prior to the study, the most current data on the subject was last collected in 1984 (Farber, 1991). Moreover, the researcher sought to better understand the impact professional learning networks can have on teacher well-being in relation to burnout status. In order to understand how the phenomenon is experienced and viewed by Minnesota teachers, the researcher conducted a phenomenological study that was comprised of seven in-depth interviews. Participants reflected on and defined their experience with teacher burnout, determined their sense of self-efficacy, discussed the impact professional learning networks can have on well-being, and provided recommendations for change. All data was coded to formulate themes to fit each of the three research questions. The study found a loss of passion and motivation, lack of support, and expectations of the teaching profession to be the main factors of teacher burnout for Minnesota teachers. If utilized, professional learning networks provide teachers with support, connect them with other like-minded teachers, provide them with an abundance of resources that are efficient, and have the ability to make educators more efficient in the classroom. Lastly, the study fills a large gap in academic research and provides school districts, teacher preparation programs, and the state with a series of recommendations for change

Metallicity vs. Be phenomenon relation in the solar neighborhood

Fast rotation seems to be the mayor factor to trigger the Be phenomenon. Surface fast rotation can be favored by initial formation conditions, such as abundance of metals. We have observed 118 Be stars up to the apparent magnitudes V=9 mag. Models of fast rotating atmospheres and evolutionary tracks were used to interpret the stellar spectra and to determine the stellar fundamental parameters. Since the studied stars are formed in regions that are separated enough to imply some non negligible gradient of galactic metallicity, we study the effects of possible incidence of this gradient on the nature as rotators of the studied stars.Comment: 3 pages ; to appear in the proceedings of the Sapporo meeting on active OB stars ; ASP Conference Series ; eds: S. Stefl, S. Owocki and A. Okazak

A grid of Synthetic Spectra for Hot DA White Dwarfs and Its Application in Stellar Population Synthesis

In this work we present a grid of LTE and non-LTE synthetic spectra of hot DA white dwarfs (WDs). In addition to its usefulness for the determination of fundamental stellar parameters of isolated WDs and in binaries, this grid will be of interest for the construction of theoretical libraries for stellar studies from integrated light. The spectral grid covers both a wide temperature and gravity range, with 17,000 K <= T_eff <= 100,000 K and 7.0 <= log(g) <= 9.5. The stellar models are built for pure hydrogen and the spectra cover a wavelength range from 900 A to 2.5 microns. Additionally, we derive synthetic HST/ACS, HST/WFC3, Bessel UBVRI and SDSS magnitudes. The grid was also used to model integrated spectral energy distributions of simple stellar populations and our modeling suggests that DAs might be detectable in ultraviolet bands for populations older than ~8 Gyr.Comment: to be published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Serie

Achernar: Rapid Polarization Variability as Evidence of Photospheric and Circumstellar Activity

We present the results of a high accuracy ($\sigma \approx 0.005$) polarization monitoring of the Be Star Achernar that was carried out between July 7th and November 5th, 2006. Our results indicate that, after a near quiescent phase from 1998 to 2002, Achernar is presently in an active phase and has built a circumstellar disk. We detect variations both in the polarization level and position angle in timescales as short as one hour and as long as several weeks. Detailed modeling of the observed polarization strongly suggests that the short-term variations originate from discrete mass ejection events which produce transient inhomogeneities in the inner disk. Long-term variations, on the other hand, can be explained by the formation of an inner ring following one or several mass ejection events.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, Accepted to Ap

Tailor made polymeric feedstocks for additive manufacturing using polymer science principles

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Turismo e projetos sustentáveis : uma alternativa para o desenvolvimento da região de Caucaia do Alto, município de Cotia - SP

Orientadoras : Prof. Dra. Ana PaulaDalla Corte; Prof. Ms. Kátia PisciottaMonografia (especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curso de Especialização em Projetos Sustentáveis, Mudanças Climáticas e Mercado de CarbonoInclui referência