Computational Bayesian Methods Applied to Complex Problems in Bio and Astro Statistics

In this dissertation we apply computational Bayesian methods to three distinct problems. In the first chapter, we address the issue of unrealistic covariance matrices used to estimate collision probabilities. We model covariance matrices with a Bayesian Normal-Inverse-Wishart model, which we fit with Gibbs sampling. In the second chapter, we are interested in determining the sample sizes necessary to achieve a particular interval width and establish non-inferiority in the analysis of prevalences using two fallible tests. To this end, we use a third order asymptotic approximation. In the third chapter, we wish to synthesize evidence across multiple domains in measurements taken longitudinally across time, featuring a substantial amount of structurally missing data, and fit the model with Hamiltonian Monte Carlo in a simulation to analyze how estimates of a parameter of interest change across sample sizes

Nursing Students\u27 Perceptions of Uncivil Behavior in the Classroom Setting.

There is an increase in uncivil student behaviors in the classroom setting including inattention, lying, cheating, and plagiarism. The purpose of this quantitative descriptive study was to determine behaviors that undergraduate nursing students perceived as uncivil in the classroom. The research question was, “How do undergraduate nursing students perceive uncivil behavior in the classroom?” A convenience sample using cluster sample method of all five undergraduate baccalaureate nursing student cohorts from a College of Nursing in Appalachia were invited to complete the researcher’s edited version of the Incivility in Nursing Education (INE) survey. There were 526 undergraduate nursing students enrolled in the program. Power analysis estimate of sample size was 222 with a 95% confidence interval; 372 students completed the survey which demonstrated an adequate sample. The sample consisted of 276 females (74.2%) and 84 males (22.6%). Participant ages ranged from 19 to 53 years. The majority of students, 333 (89.5%) were Caucasian. The primary behavior that students perceived as uncivil was holding distracting conversations, 285 (76.6%). The most common uncivil behavior experienced by students was acting bored or apathetic, 318 (85.5%). Challenging faculty, 232 (62.4%) was the most common uncivil behavior reported by students. Students perceived academic incivility as a problem, 260 (69.9%). Data from this study support previous findings that incivility in the nursing academic environment is a serious and growing problem. These findings are important because the instructor is responsible for providing a classroom environment that is conducive to learning. Classroom interventions are suggested to provide a healthier learning environment

The organ music of Ethel Smyth: a guide to its history and performance practice

This document provides a thorough biography of Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) in reference to her organ works and an analysis of the works themselves. A performance practice guide concludes the document, with the aim of making her works more accessible. The performance practice guidelines address articulation, phrasing, tempo, ornamentation, and registration, based on the performance practice of the day and organs she may have known

Critique and Appraisal of a Study on the Attitudes Towards Organ Donor Advocacy Scale

Excerpt: The recent study by Floden, Lennerling, Fridh, Rizell and Forsberg [1] concluded that using the Attitude Towards Organ Donor Advocacy Scale (ATODAS) is ready for use in future research studies because it has good psychometric properties for measuring ICU nurses’ attitudes towards advocacy on behalf of potential and actual organ donors. However, that conclusion is not supported by the data in the study because of lack of evidence of measurement validit

Utilization of Pressure Injury Prevention Team in Long-Term Care Settings

In addressing the role that pressure injury prevention (PIP) teams can have in prevention and reduction of pressure ulcers for older adult patients in long-term care settings, this PICOT question is asked: In adults aged 65 and over in long-term care settings with a diagnosis of Type II Diabetes, does implementing weekly skin assessments performed by a pressure injury prevention (PIP) team to standard PIP strategies, compared to just standard PIP strategies, prevent or reduce pressure injury development over 6 months? Pressure injuries are a preventable complication that can lead to detrimental outcomes, including patients being “2.8 times more likely to die during their hospital stay, [and] 1.69 times more likely to die within 30 days after discharge,” (Tschannen & Anderson, 2019, p. 1399). Along with standard interventions, an interdisciplinary approach has become increasingly utilized. The search for research articles was conducted within PubMed and CINAHL using the terms pressure injury, pressure injury prevention, diabetes, and wound care team. Search inclusion criteria required articles to have been published between 2017 and 2022, address all three keyword phrases, and included peer-reviewed, full-text articles published within the past five years. Exclusion criteria involved evidence-based articles that were irrelevant to pressure injuries in the older adult population. Eleven key articles were reviewed. Research suggests continued skin assessment and prevention strategies in combination with standard PIP decrease the mortality, morbidity, and cost associated with pressure injuries

Reporting and Sharing Financial Information with XBRL

In less than a decade, XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) has become a standard for reporting financial data in an XML format. This paper is an introduction to XBRL, the technical documents needed to accomplish the reporting, potential problems found in current reporting mechanisms, and future directions for use of XBRL