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Survey Mode Matters! An exploration of the impact of changing from phone to mail administration of the HCAHPS survey
No full textLeadership and Learning in Organizations capstone projectThe Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) mandates that all US hospitals administer a patient satisfaction survey (the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, or HCAHPS) to a sampling of discharged hospitalized patients. A large, integrated health system operating over 140 hospitals in the US with annual revenue of more than $27 billion recently changed the modality of its HCAHPS administration from phone (by voice, human to human) to mail (on paper), and wants to understand the impact of doing so. This project explored the effect of changing from phone to mail survey administration on response rates, survey ratings, and reputational risk, as well as the potential financial implications of the change. Results indicate that surveys conducted by mail have lower response rates and significantly lower ratings, and the profile of respondents is significantly different for all demographic variables collected by HCAHPS when collected by phone vs. by mail. In some cases there was an interaction found between demographic profile and survey mode (phone vs. mail) on survey ratings provided. Results also indicated that the current CMS mode adjustments are not sufficient to account for the differences found in this organization’s HCAHPS results when collected by phone vs. by mail
“I Know Enough To Tell A Story.” Investigating the Impact of Corporate Storytelling at the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio
No full textLeadership and Learning in Organizations capstone projectThis capstone project explores the transformative potential of corporate storytelling as a strategic tool for organizational success. Focusing on the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio (ULGSO), the study examines how storytelling can build organizational capacity for inclusivity and empathy as leaders acknowledge their position as partners with internal and external stakeholders in a co-constructed environment.
ULGSO is the oldest and largest Black-led nonprofit organization serving the city of Cincinnati since 1948. The League has been facing a problem: people do not know what they do. Too many stakeholders cannot share the League's story authentically or representatively. Storytelling is a strategic and accessible solution critical for human-centered, justice-oriented approaches to leadership and learning.
The project leverages established theories surrounding communities of practice, organizational identity development, sensegiving and sensemaking practices, and storytelling to develop a novel conceptual framework and corresponding measurement tools. Our framework defines how shifting from traditional to reflexive sensegiving expands storytelling's potential to advance the mission and vision of organizations with benefits for employee engagement, loyalty, trust, reputation, and brand.
Employing a mixed-methods approach, we utilize a corporate storytelling survey with quantitative and qualitative components alongside semi-structured interviews to investigate the effectiveness of ULGSO's strategy, co-construction practices, and perceptions of story topics. We found a developing storytelling strategy, highlighting the importance of tailoring encouragement and fostering co-construction practices. Additionally, authenticity, relevance, and proximity are critical factors for successful storytellers, with stories focused on life change and empowerment identified as the most compelling, though perception differed by role. We offer three sequenced recommendations, starting with strategic skill development for team members and leaders, progressing towards routinization of storytelling practices, and ultimately transforming the organization's culture.
This capstone offers valuable considerations for organizations across industries, demonstrating the potential of corporate storytelling for equipping future-focused leadership to unlock new value in change management, communications, identity development, and public relations initiatives. By promoting co-constructed, reflexive sensegiving, ULGSO can harness the power of story to advance its mission and vision, strengthen its brand, and ultimately build a more engaged and impactful organization
Design, Sensing, and Control for Safe Human-Robot Interaction in Confined Spaces
No full textWorkers across multiple sectors of industry are often put at risk of developing musculoskeletal disorders such as carpel tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, and lower back pain. These work-related musculoskeletal disorders stem from repeatedly lifting heavy equipment, resisting tool vibrations, and exerting forces in non-ergonomic postures. While full automation could completely alleviate the issue, many industrial tasks such as equipment maintenance and repair require human sensory presence. For these scenarios, researchers have developed collaborative robots that can offset the physiological strain from the worker while still being safe enough to operate in close physical proximity to the worker. Despite their potential benefits, there are still areas of industrial work for which no collaborative robot has been designed. One such area is industrial operation inside confined spaces. Human-robot collaboration in confined spaces presents a host of difficult technical challenges to ensure worker safety during complex industrial tasks.
This dissertation aims to address a few of these technical challenges in the areas of design, sensing, and control. We first present the mechanical design of a robot intended for human-robot collaboration in confined spaces. This robot consists of a statically balanced, rigid-linked base, two continuum segments lined with contact and proximity sensors, and a wrist for a total of 11 active degrees of freedom. The static balancing of this robot is achieved using a spring-loaded wire-wrapped cam mechanism. When designing this mechanism, we noticed several gaps in the literature. To address these limitations, we present an optimization-based design strategy for two-degree of freedom wire-wrapped cam mechanisms that 1) respects the deflection limits of springs, 2) ensures the cams are convex, and 3) minimizes the effect of unmodeled changes in spring constant. We also present a model of the effect of wire-cam friction and evaluate the method experimentally. Next, we present what we believe is the first adaptation of the generalized momentum observer contact detection/estimation approach for variable curvature continuum robots. We also present a model for the effect of dynamic state uncertainty on the performance of the observer and evaluate the method experimentally. After this, we present a redundancy resolution and end-effector compliance modulation strategy for robots with bracing constraints. This redundancy resolution strategy can be used to enable the design of long-reach robots with minimal torque actuators. Lastly, we present the software and control framework of the aforementioned collaborative robot. We also present a preliminary system evaluation user study that explores the benefits and tradeoffs of human sensory presence for mock industrial tasks. Specifically, the user study explores controlling the robot using admittance control and using teleoperation with and without virtual fixtures.
We believe the contributions to the design, sensing, and control of collaborative robots in confined spaces presented in this dissertation will help improve the health of industrial workers and increase the adoption of collaborative robots
Computational Modeling of the Hummingbird Escape Maneuver
No full textHummingbirds are perhaps the most agile flyers in nature. Studying the underlying physics of hummingbird flight may provide inspiration for developing highly maneuverable micro aerial vehicles (MAVs). In this work, we have developed a high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to analyze the aerodynamics and flight mechanics of the hummingbird escape maneuver, in which hovering hummingbirds were startled and perform a rapid (less than 0.2 seconds) maneuver to back away from a perceived looming threat on the front side. Several novel mechanisms were discovered in this study. First, we found evidence across several species that hummingbirds use the inertial forces of their wings to increase their body rotational acceleration. For example, at pronation when the wings switch from upstroke to downstroke, the wing inertial forces create a torque that helps pitch up the bird’s body to move the head away from the threat. Such inertial steering effects are accompanied by aerodynamic steering of the wings to generate a fast rotational speed to improve maneuverability. Second, we studied the actuation of the wings during the escape maneuver by considering the muscle input at the shoulder joint in addition to the wings’ aerodynamic and inertial outputs. Contrary to previous thoughts that wing pitch rotation is primarily passive due to the wings’ own inertia, our results show that significant power input was required to pitch up the wings during downstroke to enhance aerodynamic force production. As a result, an active mechanism is required to pitch the wings for maximal force output. Third, we found that pitch, roll, and yaw rotations of the bird body may overlap with one another, which may create a nonlinear, inertial coupling effect that hummingbirds utilize as a passive mechanism for flight control, e.g., to stabilize body pitching during the maneuver. These novel findings have significantly improved our understanding of hummingbirds’ great maneuverability and may be useful for the future development of bioinspired MAVs
Phonon-Mediated Temperature Dependence of Er3+ Optical Transitions in Single-Crystal Er2O3
No full textRare earth ions embedded in solid state systems play a critical role in classical optical systems and have significant potential for advancing quantum information science (QIS) due to their optical emission and spin properties that resemble isolated atoms. These properties result from the intrinsic shielding of the 4f electrons due to filled out shells such as 5s and 5p. One rare earth ion, Er3+, is of particular interest because of its emission near 1.5 microns – the absorption minimum of optical fibers. The realization of potential applications requires an understanding of atomic-scale processes, including electron-phonon interactions, which are often studied through their temperature dependence. Here we present measurements and modeling of the temperature dependent photoluminescence of the 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 , 4S3/2 → 4I13/2 and 2H11/2 → 4I15/2 transition manifolds on Er3+ in Er2O3. These measurements, reported for the first time, establish a baseline for the temperature dependent behavior of the photoluminescence of Er3+ in single-crystal Er2O3 between 4 K and 300 K. The modeling of these measurements advances existing theory of the temperature dependence of rare earth ion photoluminescence and shows the need to consider the individual Stark-split levels of Er3+, their thermalization and numerous single-phonon assisted transitions utilizing the phonon modes specific to Er2O3 to explain our observations. Through this model we demonstrate differences in the electron-phonon coupling of the 4S3/2 and 2H11/2 states of Er3+ in Er2O3 and suggest that the temperature dependence of Er3+ emission intensity may vary significantly with small shifts in excitation wavelength (~0.1 nm)
Optimizing AI Adaptability and Efficiency - a Statistical Approach to Adaptive Problem Solving with Generative AI
No full textIn an era where data increasingly drives our world, the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is undeniable. AI has become integral, not just in our digital lives but in mission-critical domains from medical diagnostics to nuclear systems. This surge in AI utilization brings enhanced efficiency and economic gains but also introduces a disproportionate reliance on autonomous systems without guaranteed formal verification.
The fundamental assumption of any real-world AI application is that training data is representative of real-world encounters. However, the dynamic and inconsistent nature of the real world poses a challenge to this assumption. Integrating complex AI systems into our daily life means imposing static assumptions on a chaotic environment. The risks of such oversights are negligible in consumer electronics but potentially catastrophic in sectors like finance or military technology. Addressing the unpredictability inherent in the real world is not new in AI development, yet unknown variables persist—global pandemics, economic crises, and geopolitical conflicts. The most perilous assumption in AI is presuming all contingencies are accounted for.
This dissertation explores the implications of AI agents operating in dynamic real-world scenarios. It delves into the assumptions AI systems make, their limitations, and how we can enhance methodologies to ensure AI is utilized safely, effectively, and responsibly. Through a blend of practical applications and theoretical foundations of AI, this work proposes methodological innovations aimed at cross-disciplinary impact and real-world problem-solving. By scrutinizing AI behavior and limitations, this research seeks to refine existing practices and foster the beneficial application of AI across various domains
Now that I Am So Miserable: Experiences and Representations of Old Age in Sixteenth-Century Germany
No full textOld age in the sixteenth century was caricaturized as a painful experience that could only offer mental and physical suffering, and these narratives of unlucky elders had an important function in society. By using examples of uncomfortable old age, often through fictional or anecdotal accounts, sixteenth-century moralists and writers could warn their younger audiences of what awaited them if they lived carelessly in their youth. This was compounded by the few medical treatments available to treat the conditions of old age. Physicians in the sixteenth century diagnosed old age as an incurable condition, and the development of gerontological medicine was slow growing as doctors made advancements in understanding the aging body. This is apparent in the ways in which sixteenth century elders wrote about their own lives: few, if any, spoke positively about their experiences as elders and instead focused their autobiographical texts on their youthful exploits. My dissertation shows the overwhelmingly negative language associated with old age: in medical treatises, in popular plays and poems, and even in the language of elders themselves. But that did not make old age a misery for everyone above the age of sixty in the sixteenth century. The relative silence from those who experienced a “good old age” was because there was no public function in this sort of positive conversation
Ultra-Low-Overhead Arbitrary-Waveform Generation as a Circuit Macro: Augmenting the Characterization of Radiation-Induced Transient Effects in Highly Scaled Integrated Circuits
No full textArbitrary waveform generators (AWGs) are not typically feasible as subsystems on integrated circuits due to their size and complexity, but they are versatile circuits that are broadly useful. The purpose of this work is to show that by prioritizing minimal overhead and designing for targeted performance, as necessary for the application, it is possible to create a reusable on-chip AWG circuit macro in a small form factor. To support this claim, details and results are provided for a proof-of-concept implementation in a 45nm partially depleted silicon-on-insulator process. The presented design is able to achieve a small size by eliminating the complicated calibration and filtering circuitry commonly used in contemporary designs, instead relying on intrinsic accuracy of the base circuits. The reliability and accuracy of the AWG are driven by careful design down to the layout level, including the development of a variant of the traditional common-centroid layout technique called distributed-centroid layouts (DCL), which addresses the importance of bias circuitry in mitigating process-induced mismatch. A custom simulation workflow was developed to investigate the effectiveness of this technique at the circuit level as compared to other designs from the literature. The proof-of-concept circuit was designed to improve the characterization of radiation-induced transient effects in highly scaled integrated circuits by providing built-in self-test and hardware-emulation capabilities to a custom photocurrent measurement circuit (PMC). Details of this specific application are explored in detail, along with experimental measurements made using flash x-ray and pulsed laser sources. Alternative AWG designs that might benefit a broader application space beyond radiation effects are also provided
Young Siblings of Children with Cancer: a Photovoice Exploration of Their Experiences, Responses, and Needs
No full textEarly childhood experiences can impact lifelong well-being, and siblings of children with cancer face psychosocial risks. However, limited research has focused on young siblings under seven years of age, impeding effective care. To address this gap, the purpose of this research was to provide parent perspectives on the experiences and responses of young healthy siblings, aged 3-7, in families affected by childhood cancer. A secondary goal was to conduct a participatory needs assessment. Employing a modified photovoice method, parents shared photos capturing siblings’ experiences, which served as visual expressions of their viewpoints. Then, the parents provided narrative discussion during video-conference interviews, guided by a semi-structured interview. Inductive qualitative content analysis and a layered analysis approach revealed several key themes within the three categories of experiences, responses, and needs: 1) Experiences: Changed Routines and Relationships, encompassing separation and isolation, being together differently, and parent strategies to address challenges; 2) Responses to Changed Routines and Relationships, which entailed strong emotions, both negative and positive, and behaviors such as clinginess and altered play in response to challenging and positive experiences; and 3) Young Siblings’ Needs, focusing on the importance of meeting their practical and emotional needs, including safe supervision, attention, and inclusion, and the promotion of engagement within healthcare settings and family life. These findings underscore the significance of equitable support, inclusion, and understanding for young siblings, emphasizing the need for sibling involvement in family-centered care within healthcare settings
Graph Planar Algebra Embeddings and New A-infinity Subfactors
No full textA commuting square is a square of inclusions of finite dimensional C*-algebras that satisfy a notion of orthogonality. Commuting square subfactors are subfactors that can be constructed by iterating the basic construction on a commuting square, they are always hyperfinite. We prove that the subfactor planar algebra of a commuting square subfactor embeds into the graph planar algebra of the first vertical inclusion graph of the commuting square. We use this to show that a commuting square subfactor does not have finite depth, provided the first vertical inclusion is not a module graph for any finite depth subfactor with the same index. We then construct commuting squares that produce irreducible hyperfinite subfactors with indices , the index of the Extended Haagerup subfactor, and , the index of the Asaeda-Haagerup subfactor. Since the vertical inclusion graphs for these commuting squares are not module graphs, the subfactors must have infinite depth and by classification, they are -subfactors.
Alternatively, we construct 1-parameter families of non-equivalent commuting squares based on the 4-stars for all . Using Kawahigashi's characterization of finite-dimensional commuting squares, we show that each family must produce at least one infinite depth subfactor. Therefore we have constructed hyperfinite irreducible subfactors with indices , , , and . By classification, all but the last one must be -subfactors