A workbook for developing personality and character traits which contribute to success in business

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

An analysis of oral reading achievement in relation to a basal text,

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit

Optimal selection of passes

Preliminary numerical results obtained from the application of a linear feature selection technique to the determination of combinations of passes which best discriminate between a given set of crops in a given area of interest, are reported. The results obtained are not purported to hold in a general situation, but only for the given set of crops and the given, but unknown, levels of several factors-such as soil type, and fertilizer practice, holding in the area of interest. However, by identifying the various factors affecting the spectral signatures, and by formulating a regression model one could use the feature selection technique to determine the regression coefficients for predicting optimal passes for a given set of crops. Another use of the feature selection technique as applied to multiple pass registered data is the generation of enhanced grey scale displays by using a single linear combination of all channels of all designated passes as opposed to a single channel within a single pass

An interactive multimedia continuously learning helpdesk system : (when Hal met Sally)

Thesis (S.B. and M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1999.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-72).by Marion L. Groh.S.B.and M.Eng

Understanding perceived determinants of nurses’ eating and physical activity behaviour : A theory-informed qualitative interview study

We thank Eilidh Duncan and Maria Prior for help with designing the interview topic guide. We would also like to thank all the nurses who gave their time to participate in the pilot study of the interview topic guide and the qualitative interviews. The Health Services Research Unit is funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates. The views expressed are those of the authors alone. Funding This work was funded through a Medical Research Council doctoral training award.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Impact of external sources of infection on the dynamics of bovine tuberculosis in modelled badger populations

Background The persistence of bovine TB (bTB) in various countries throughout the world is enhanced by the existence of wildlife hosts for the infection. In Britain and Ireland, the principal wildlife host for bTB is the badger (Meles meles). The objective of our study was to examine the dynamics of bTB in badgers in relation to both badger-derived infection from within the population and externally-derived, trickle-type, infection, such as could occur from other species or environmental sources, using a spatial stochastic simulation model. Results The presence of external sources of infection can increase mean prevalence and reduce the threshold group size for disease persistence. Above the threshold equilibrium group size of 6–8 individuals predicted by the model for bTB persistence in badgers based on internal infection alone, external sources of infection have relatively little impact on the persistence or level of disease. However, within a critical range of group sizes just below this threshold level, external infection becomes much more important in determining disease dynamics. Within this critical range, external infection increases the ratio of intra- to inter-group infections due to the greater probability of external infections entering fully-susceptible groups. The effect is to enable bTB persistence and increase bTB prevalence in badger populations which would not be able to maintain bTB based on internal infection alone. Conclusions External sources of bTB infection can contribute to the persistence of bTB in badger populations. In high-density badger populations, internal badger-derived infections occur at a sufficient rate that the additional effect of external sources in exacerbating disease is minimal. However, in lower-density populations, external sources of infection are much more important in enhancing bTB prevalence and persistence. In such circumstances, it is particularly important that control strategies to reduce bTB in badgers include efforts to minimise such external sources of infection

GABEK WinRelan® – a Qualitative Method for Crisis Research Engaging Crisis Management Personnel

Qualitative research methods like GABEK WinRelan are advantageous tools to analyze and thereby improve crisis management planning and communication systems by interrogating crisis management personnel. Contrary to quantitative methods they help to identify, explore, and structure new important aspects in this field and to formulate more specific research questions. This paper describes the usage and advantages of the qualitative method GABEK WinRelan within crisis management research, particularly within the e-Triage project which aims at the development of an electronic registration system of affected persons in mass casualty incidents. Furthermore it addresses different corresponding research fields like stress within emergency missions and the role GABEK WinRelan could play in examining these research fields

Urinary bladder assessment skills used by hospital nurses before a decision is made to institute intermittent catheterization

Intermittent Catheterization is an invasive technique in which a hollow tube (catheter) is inserted into the bladder to drain urine at regular intervals when a patient does not void. Catheterization is a technique frequently performed by nurses. The skills of assessment by nurses of a patient\u27s urinary bladder prior to instituting intermittent catherization (IC) have been neglected in the field of nursing research. The purpose of this descriptive-correlational study is to identify bladder assessment skills (BAS) among hospital nurses prior to instituting intermittent catheterization. The study asks the questions: To what extent do nurses utilize BAS, and what is the relationship between BAS and demographic data? A stratified non-random convenience sample of 64 nurses of varying levels and from medical, surgical, gerontological and orthopaedic wards of a major metropolitan hospital participated in the study. A four-part, 29-item questionnaire was used to gather demographic and BAS data in the presence of the researcher. Data was analysed by frequency distributions, tables, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson\u27s Product Moment Correlation and t test. The findings indicated that over 80% of nurses reported that they performed most of the BAS often or always, with the exception of inspection and percussion. Only 11% of nurses reported that they always performed comprehensive bladder assessment skills prior to instituting intermittent catheterization. There was no relationship between the frequency with which BAS were performed and employment designation, education, experience, age, gender, knowledge and nursing speciality. Nurses knowledge was low, particularly when determine the time frame for instituting intermittent catheterization. Using Gagne\u27s model of information processing as a framework for interpretation, it is suggested that when performing BAS most nurses progress through the stages of Gagne\u27s model prior to their decision to institute intermittent catherization. Implications focus primarily on improving the knowledge base through an educational programme, which in turn should increase the number of nurses who perform comprehensive bladder assessment. This will improve the consistency of nursing practice. In addition, if there are inconsistencies in practice, the implementation of a policy on a uniform method of bladder assessment and management will have both social and financial benefits