Charge density increase in submonolayer organic field-effect transistors

Interface confinement plays a central role in charge carrier accumulation and transport along the channel of organic field-effect transistors. Understanding the relevant interfacial interactions that affect the energy landscape experienced by carriers in the channel is of fundamental interest. Here we investigate charge transport in the submonolayer regime of pentacene transistors in which confinement arises due to the finite size of the interconnected semiconducting islands. In situ real-time electrical characterization is used to monitor the formation and evolution of the accumulation layer at the very early stages of growth. The morphology of the confining interfaces is controlled by growth conditions and pentacene coverage. Charge transport occurs when percolation pathways connecting source and drain electrodes are formed at a critical coverage. The displacement current across the oxide/semiconductor interface is observed starting from the onset of percolation (0.69 monolayer coverage). The analysis of the characteristics shows that already the submonolayer film fully screens the gate field and accumulates higher charge carrier density as compared to the monolayer film. We propose an electrostatic model to correlate the charge density to the characteristic length scale of the submonolayer film and the thickness of the dielectric layer. This explains charge mobility and threshold voltage of thin-film transistors in the submonolayer regime

Reducing Noise Levels in Intensive Care Units Using Noise Monitoring Technology

Intensive care units require many medical procedures, activities, machines, and staff that contribute to high levels of noise. These high noise levels have been found to cause adverse psychological and/or physiological health effects related to sleep disturbances, increased anxiety, and increased stress. These health effects may lead to decreased patient satisfaction. The purpose of this proposal is to explore the effectiveness of the SoundEar 3-300 device in decreasing levels of noise and as a result, increasing patient satisfaction. The current research indicates that the SoundEar 3-300 device is successful at reducing hospital noise levels. This device allows for the measurement and visualization of noise levels in the area in which it is placed. The SoundEar device lights up green when noise levels are below 60 dB, orange if noise levels are between 60 dB and 70 dB, and red if noise levels increase above 70 dB. Data will be collected throughout the day shift at the beginning and end of a three-month period. The first 7 days will serve as the control, and the devices will be placed near each nurse’s station with no explanation and with the light indicators turned off. During the initial 7 days, patient satisfaction surveys related to unit noise levels will be completed by applicable patients on the unit. At the start of the second week, unit staff would be made aware of the device, what the colors indicate, and its importance. At the end of three months, data will be collected over another week. Outcomes will be evaluated by gathering mean ambient sound levels determined at each time interval as well as patient satisfaction surveys gathered throughout the three months. The desired outcome is that patient satisfaction will increase and unit noise will decrease by an average of 5 dB

The exploration of student shadowing and school-based instructional rounds on deeper learning in the middle and high school classroom: a transformative approach discussing professional learning with teachers and administrators

Professional learning environments and professional development practices among educators throughout the United States have experienced a great deal of attention in the need for changes toward collaborative learning models and professional learning opportunities that engage in hands-on work focused on student learning and the growth of teachers’ practice to help students develop their ability to think critically. This qualitative phenomenological study explored middle and high school teachers’ and administrators’ previous professional learning experiences through the practice of School-Based Instructional Rounds and Student Shadowing. The research focused on exploring the impact, if any, on transforming teaching strategies that provide deeper learning experiences for students in college and career readiness. A transformative framework under the theory of Mezirow’s transformative learning theory and Knowles’s adult learning theory using a constructivist paradigm and grounded theory approach informed the exploration of worldviews from the data of this research study. The participants who took part in School-Based Instructional Rounds included 8 high school and middle teachers and administrators in 3 school districts representing 4 Southern California schools. In-person interviews support the research findings in this study. The participants represented in the Shadow a Student Challenge consisted of school leaders and a teacher who work in public and private middle and high school districts in the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Rhode Island. Document analysis and personal interviews support the research findings of this study. Professional learning experiences of School-Based Instructional Rounds and Student Shadowing were explored within the lived experiences of teachers and administrators professional learning practices. Perceptions of deeper learning opportunities in middle and high school classrooms were examined, connecting professional development and the transformation of deeper learning instructional practices. This study will contribute to the body of literature on the value of implementing School-Based Instructional Rounds and the Shadow a Student Challenge as hands-on professional learning practices for teachers and administrators toward supporting the adoption of engaging, meaningful, and relevant strategies for 21st century learning skills in middle and high school classrooms

A model for improving digital business customer service

Services are highly customisable and the variation of skills of those people responsible for delivering the services adds to the complexity of performance in services. The case com-pany in this study is seeking ways to improve customer service for its digital business cus-tomers. A digital business is a business that transacts with the customer on the internet and uses technology to provide value to the customer. This study tries to fulfil the needs of the case company by investing ways to improve cus-tomer service. This is a qualitative study which facilitates an action research model. The current state analysis of the study employs a service analysis methodology and inter-views with management of the case company to manufacture the current customer service model illustration. The current customer service model illustration is presented in inter-views with personnel of the case company. The objectives of the interviews with the per-sonnel are to observe their perception of the customer service model and digital business customer service. The results of the interviews will be used to improve the current cus-tomer service model. The analysed results of the personnel interviews complied with the literary material, the study prescribes a new customer service model outline for the case company to assist for improving customer service. The study also suggests ways to im-prove digital business customer service. Finally, the managerial implications in this study provide methods of measuring and monitoring the performance of the new customer ser-vice model outline.Palveluiden muokkaus asiakkaiden tarpeiden mukaan ja palveluja toimittavan hen-kilöstön erilaiset osaamiset vaikeuttavat palveluiden toimittamisen tehokkuuden ja toimi-vuuden mittaamista. Tämän tutkimuksen esimerkkiyritys etsii tapoja parantaa sen digitaal-isen liiketoiminnan asiakkaiden tyytyväisyyttä. Digitaalinen liiketoiminta on liiketoimintaa, jossa yritys ja asiakas toimivat internetissä ja jossa teknologia tuo lisäarvoa asiakkaalle. Tämä tutkimus pyrkii vastaamaan esimerkkiyrityksen tarpeeseen etsimällä tapoja parantaa asiakaspalvelua. Tutkimus on luonteeltaan kvalitatiivinen ja hyödyntää action research -mallia. Nykytila-analyysissä analysoidaan esimerkkiyrityksen nykyistä palvelumallia kirjallisuuden ja yrityksen johdon haastattelujen perusteella, ja kuvataan nykyinen malli. Olemassaoleva malli esitetään yrityksen henkilöstölle haastatteluissa. Haastatteluiden tavoitteena on selvittää henkilökunnan käsitystä asiakaspalvelumallista ja digitaalisen liiketoiminnan asi-akaspalvelusta. Haastattelujen tuloksia käytetään nykyisen mallin parantamiseen.Tutkimus kuvaa uuden palvelumallin ja asiakaspalvelun suuntaviivat. Tutkimus myös tuo esiin tapoja mitata ja seurata uuden palvelumallin toimivuutta

'Awakening movement' in early nineteenth-century Germany: the making of a modern and orthodox Protestantism

This thesis examines the ‘Awakening movement’ (Erweckungsbewegung) in German Protestantism during the Vormärz period (1815-48) in German history. Many historians have noted that the Awakening was the last nationwide Protestant reform and revival movement to occur in Germany. This thesis interprets the Awakening movement as a product of the larger social changes that were re-shaping German society during the Vormärz period. Theologically, Awakened Protestants were traditionalists. They affirmed religious doctrines that orthodox Protestants had professed since the confessional statements of the Reformation-era. However, Awakened Protestants were also distinctly modern. Their efforts to spread their religious beliefs were successful because of the new political freedoms and economic opportunities that emerged in the early nineteenth century. These social conditions gave members of the emerging German middle class new means and abilities to pursue their religious goals. Awakened Protestants started many academic and popular publications, voluntary societies, and institutions for social reform. Adapting Protestantism to modern society in these ways was the most original and innovative aspect of the Awakening movement. After an introductory chapter, this study proceeds to discuss Awakened Protestants’ religious identity in relation to the history of the German Protestant tradition. Chapter one examines the historical development of the conception of religious ‘awakening’ within German Protestant thought from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. Chapter two then analyses how the Awakening movement was animated by a particular set of objections to the eighteenth-century religious Enlightenment and to the Christianity of those who called themselves Protestant ‘rationalists’. Chapters three through six consider how the Awakening movement developed within four distinct areas of Protestant religious life: preaching, academic theology, organised evangelism, and pastoral initiatives. The thesis concludes that the Awakening movement represented the realisation of certain long-term reform goals that Martin Luther had defined in the 1520s. It was a type of Protestantism, whose appearance had previously been inhibited by the limitations of the social, political, and economic conditions of the early modern period. This thesis is the first substantial analysis of the Awakening written in English