ETD -- Doctoral Dissertations

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    Advances in Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Technologies for Enhanced Harbor Protection
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-08-11) McNelly, Brendan P; Whitcomb, Louis L; Carr, Stephen S; Bellingham, James G; Kobilarov, Marin B; Kim, Jin Seob
    This Dissertation is the culmination of coursework and research focused on the challenges of, and potential solutions to, defending harbor environments against adversarial threats. Advancements are reported on in three technology areas - perception, autonomy, and vehicle fabrication - that suggest the utilization of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) as a viable harbor protection system. Chapter 2 reports a literature review documenting present-day protection systems, AUVs, and recent advancements in technology that apply to both harbor protection systems and AUVs. Chapter 3 presents a simple mathematical model of the harbor environment that is used to evaluate the effectiveness of protection solutions. An initial set of harbor protection requirements and functional objectives help define research objectives. This Dissertation also reports on research, design, and testing of technology components that enable the use of AUVs for the harbor protection problem. Chapter 4 presents a study on the application of convolutional neural network-based algorithms onto commercially available low size, weight, and power electronics to confirm that a forward looking sonar is able to detect and classify multiple divers in real time. Chapter 5 reports an autonomy architecture, as well as underlying modes and behaviors, that demonstrate how an AUV may search, detect, classify, and deny threats within a harbor environment. Chapter 6 presents a study of additive manufacturing processes and their utilization for design of novel bulkheads, custom pressure vessel structures, and a vehicle hull form. The reported hull form, with integrated hardware and autonomy, constitutes a prototype AUV that was designed and fabricated at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory as part of this research. Testing of the prototype vehicle was completed to confirm hardware integration and collaborative autonomy capabilities. The testing that was presented in this Dissertation suggests that AUVs can support harbor protection functions. The Appendices include four published conference papers, one patent, and one manuscript that were completed as part of this research. The Dissertation fulfills, in part, the requirements for the Doctor of Engineering, and serves as a collection of documents that can inform future harbor protection research and technology development.
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    Can Early SEZs be Drivers of Economic Growth in Transition Economies? Comparative Analysis: China, Russia, Vietnam
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2024-01-22) Park, Soojin; Calder, Kent; Chen, Ling; Raymond, Peter
    This research began with questions arising from disparate economic performance of early special economic zones (SEZs) in transitional economies at the initial phase of reform and market opening, specifically in China, Russia, and Vietnam despite their shared legacy of command economy as socialist states. Having a focus on the political economic dynamics of SEZ development, this comparative analysis examines how institutional governance structure of the respective countries impacted economic growth. It employs six key elements for SEZ development in the context of transition economies, chosen for their heuristic value: 1) state capacity for effective governance, 2) legal framework, 3) political stability, 4) infrastructure, 5) location, and 6) global networks, all of which are grouped into categories of internal foundation and external connectivity. Findings indicate that SEZs can serve as drivers of economic growth in the early stages of a socialist country’s transition to a market-oriented-economy when a host country with political stability and strong institutional capacity grants adequate autonomy and incentives to local authorities for effective governance of SEZs in strategic locations. Adequate infrastructure along with functioning state agencies that enable and promote coherent economic activities by both domestic and international actors with trust in the political commitments and stability of the host country were quintessential for SEZ development. Failure or success of a zone was linked to the efficacy of an institutional and incentive framework, whether it was strategically located both domestically and internationally, and the level of coordination between the central and local governments.
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    Assessing the Role and Regulatory Impact of Digital Assets in Decentralizing Finance
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-11-21) McQueen, Molly Ann; Arroyo, Cristino R; Cordella, Tito; Zatti, Filippo
    This project will explore the development of decentralized financial (DeFi) markets since the first introduction of digital assets created through the application of a form of distributed ledger technology (DLT), known as blockchain, in 2008. More specifically, a qualitative inquiry of the role of digital assets in relation to traditional financial markets infrastructure will be conducted in order to answer the following questions: (i) can the digital asset and decentralized financial markets examined in this thesis co-exist with traditional assets and financial markets, and, if so, (ii) are traditional or novel forms of regulation (whether financial or otherwise) needed or desirable for the digital asset and decentralized financial markets examined herein? The aim of this project will be to challenge a preliminary hypothesis that traditional and decentralized finance can be compatible; provided, that governments and other centralized authorities approach market innovations as an opportunity to improve existing monetary infrastructure and delivery of financial services (both in the public and private sector), rather than as an existential threat. Thus, this thesis seeks to establish that, through collaborating with private markets to identify the public good to which DeFi markets contribute, the public sector can foster an appropriate environment which is both promotive and protective of the public interest without unduly stifling innovation and progress.
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    The Dollar-Yen Exchange Rate: Appreciation Impact on Japan's Economic Cycles and Long-run Equilibrium between Its Deviation from Purchasing Power Parity and the Economic Performance
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2024-01-02) Harada, Koki; Bodnar, Gordon M; Marquez, Jaime; Ito, Takatoshi
    Through Vector Autoregression analyses, this paper examines the impact of USDJPY real exchange rate appreciation on the Japanese economic cycles since the floating regime started in 1973. Key testing variables are cyclical components of macroeconomic variables of output, trade, and asset prices. Long-run equilibriums between the deviation of USDJPY from Purchasing Power Parity (PPP)—i.e., the real exchange rate assuming that PPP holds—and the macroeconomic variables, if they exist, have economic implications. Thus, the paper also investigates their long-run relationships through cointegration tests. The test period is from 1991Q2 to 2007Q2 between Japan’s asset bubble collapse and the Global Financial Crisis, minimizing potential distortion by structural breaks. This study finds that the USDJPY exchange rate does not function perfectly as a shock absorber. An appreciation shock has negatively and persistently impacted real GDP and consumption. At a minimum, the one-time shock of appreciation by 4 percent reduces real GDP by 0.2 percentage points. Given the yen’s historical swing, the adverse impact of the yen's appreciation could be significant relative to Japan’s sluggish growth (average annual growth after 1991Q2 is 0.7 percent). Unit labor costs are sticky in the short term and negatively cointegrated with the deviations from PPP in the long term. Given Japan’s low productivity over the decades, the result implies the correlation between the yen’s overvaluation and a wage cut. Exports and imports are irresponsive to an appreciation shock. Share prices demonstrate a persistent and positive response, implying the price rigidity of listed companies. Housing prices also show price stickiness. In the long term, the overvaluation puzzlingly correlates with a rise in housing prices despite the connection between overvaluation and a wage decline.
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    JUDICIAL REFORM IN LATIN AMERICA: THE COLOMBIAN NON-CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-12-18) Varela, David F.; Kocher, Matthew A; Levy, Brian; González, Francisco E.; Garoupa, Nuno
    This thesis explores the path of non-criminal court reforms in Colombia by tracing the influence of: (a) the various political drivers of this court subsystem; and (b) the value added by the International Financial Institutions. To that end the thesis focuses on the two main elements of Colombia’s 1991 reforms: (i) the Superior Judicial Council’s governance and management role; and (ii) the protection of constitutional rights through the tutela, a procedure that allows universal citizen access to justice. Based on an analysis of the historical evolution of the Colombian non-criminal justice determined by a combination of big-P politics (external) and small-p politics (internal), with an emphasis on the post-1991 period, the thesis found that Colombia has made substantial progress around institutional strengthening in terms of independence and access, but service delivery has not achieved sustainable performance improvements regarding management and responsiveness. Following different approaches, during the last twenty years the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank have helped Colombia developing capabilities for improving performance at various levels of the non-criminal courts, especially around the transition to oral proceedings, the national decongestion plan and digital transformation. The results record is mixed because sometimes the overly ambitious technical solutions proposed by the Institutions were not aligned with the dynamics of external and internal politics.
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    Irrational Exuberance in Global Development
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-12-08) Singh, Aditi; Kapur, Devesh; Pritchett , Lant; Levy, Brian; Kocher, Matthew
    I draw an analogy between the development marketplace and financial markets, arguing that the spread of some ideas in global development is characterized by irrational exuberance. Like financial markets where there often can be a strong dissonance between the pricing or investment in an asset or a stock compared to its underlying value, a similar incongruence happens between the effectiveness of some ideas in development and the corresponding investment. I ask two questions: (i) Why do some ideas experience irrational exuberance? and (ii) among such ideas, why do some ideas survive while others die? Given the lack of a priori theoretical frameworks, I take an exploratory and inductive approach that relies on two case studies, clean cooking and microfinance. Through a combination of in-process tracing and comparative analysis, I find that development ideas take off because and when they undergo a ‘reconstruction,’ which increases the likelihood that more development actors will want to adopt or invest in such ideas. This reconstruction can happen as actors’ interests evolve once material changes in their environment alter their situation through crises or new opportunities. It can also happen as agents reconstitute their interests by altering their understanding and recalculating their priorities. After a period of active socialization, such ideas spread through a process of social contagion where emulation and mimicry become common mechanisms to generate informational and reputational payoffs. The idea declines in importance when the relationship between the idea and the aforementioned change turns out to be flawed or becomes obsolete. It survives when it continues to conform to the context that supplied such reconstruction.
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    Devil Dogs and the Valley of Death: Partisan Interests and Marine Corps Innovation
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-12-07) Gerbracht, Robert Parry; White, Joshua; MacLeod, Ian; Jensen, Benjamin; Kocher, Matthew
    What factors speed military innovations across the DoD's "valley of death?" Does service culture play a significant role in this process? Military innovation studies research continues to clarify complex factors like bureaucratic pressure, organizational culture, service rivalry, and technological change that drive the pursuit of warfighting advantage. In this study, I will employ a comparative, exploratory case study method relying on small-N qualitative research and process trace three purposive cases of Marine Corps service innovation using interpreted veto player and adoption-capacity theory. While these theories have been applied to state systems to produce causative covering laws of governance and bureaucratic change, they can be effectively interpreted to inform middle-range theory in military innovation. I propose that while institutional veto players ultimately control financial resources, organizational capital remains controlled by partisan veto networks that moderate military innovation. Echoing Tsebelis’ veto player theory in the case of policy stability in democratic systems, I theorize that partisan communities of interest can create a stymying effect that prevents disruptions to status quo warfighting practices that characterize true innovation. This paper further explores the organizational tension between communities of interest internal to the Marine Corps that moderate adoption rates for critical new programs and technologies.
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    The Abolishment of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency: Exploring the Change Agent and Primary Catalyst
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-12-04) Gardner, Jamie Armstrong; Gavin, Francis J; Schmidt, Sebastian; Campbell, Craig P; Kocher, Matthew
    Claims that the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency’s (ACDA’s) abolition in 1997 was a mistake and that its functions should be reinstituted lead to the following questions: 1) Was the abolishment of ACDA in the 1990s unavoidable? 2) What were the key factors and who were the key contributors to the disestablishment of the Agency? and 3) Why was the agency with the independent mandate to address non-proliferation issues abolished at a time when nonproliferation was a high-priority goal of United States foreign policy? Utilizing the Bureaucratic Process Model (BPM) to study why the Agency responsible for negotiating and maintaining the U.S. arms control regime that had developed by the mid-1990s, through which non-proliferation efforts were coordinated, was abolished, adds to the current discussion regarding whether the reasons cited for its abolishment have continued relevance. ACDA’s abolition was not the result of a series of seemingly random events. Rather, the events reflect the culmination of a pendulum “shift” in theory on the utilization of arms control as an agent to ensure U.S. national security, resulting in the elimination of the independent “voice” for arms control. While ACDA faced critics and challenges to its existence prior to the 1990s, prior efforts had been thwarted by ACDA’s supporters, within the executive and legislative branches. Most of the opposition to ACDA was led by Senator Jesse Helms, who, as an agent with both intent and influence outside the executive cabinet’s BPM, was able to outlast and outmaneuver Administration and Congressional opposition. Once Helms found partners within the BPM, in Madeline Albright, and within the opposition party on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in Joe Biden, the fate of ACDA was sealed. Helms was the change agent: His removal from the equation is the only formula modification that might have resulted in ACDA’s continued existence. The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) was the catalyst utilized by Helms to extract the concession of ACDA’s disestablishment from the Clinton Administration, which was desperate to ratify the CWC. In the absence of the CWC, Helms would have utilized another issue as his catalyst.
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    HOUSING QUALITY AMONG OCCUPIED U.S. HOUSEHOLDS: IMPLICATIONS FOR POPULATION HEALTH
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-10-25) Helms, Veronica E; Pollack, Craig E; Perrin, Eliana M
    Problem Statement: A large body of research underscores that housing quality is considered a key driver of health status, but publicly available housing quality data is scant and not codified. As a construct, housing quality is multidimensional and can be defined using several factors such as physical adequacy, housing cost burden, and neighborhood quality. Currently, neighborhood-level housing quality data is not publicly available. Methods: This quantitative study leveraged national datasets and predictive analytics to better understand neighborhood-level housing quality in the United States. To fill the data gap discussed in the problem statement above, we developed the Housing Quality Index (HQI), a dataset that quantifies multiple dimensions of housing quality across three levels of geography: state, county, and tract. The resulting data product, the Housing Quality Index (HQI), can be used to predict the likelihood that a jurisdiction contains a large share of poor-quality housing units. Manuscript 1 describes the development of the Housing Quality Index (HQI) and discusses high-level findings. Manuscript 2 examines how housing quality dimensions interact at the neighborhood level and assesses concordance with the Environmental Justice Index (EJI), another national index that aggregates socioeconomic and environmental factors. Lastly, Manuscript 3 analyzes the neighborhood-level relationship between housing quality and population health. Results: Manuscript 1 found that in the U.S., approximately 63.3% (SE: 0.27) of occupied housing units, or approximately 81 million occupied households, experience at least one dimension of poor housing quality. State-level and county-level predicted estimates revealed key geographic patterns. County-level and tract-level HQI estimates provide researchers, advocates, and practitioners with a tool to better understand housing quality in a specific jurisdiction. Manuscript 2 found that approximately 42.1% of census tracts scored in the top national quartile for any poor housing quality dimension. Despite this large overall prevalence, each poor housing quality dimension captures a distinct construct, suggesting housing quality dimensions can be viewed independently or cumulatively. Manuscript 3 found a significant association between census tracts with large shares of poor housing quality and census tracts with large shares of adults self-reporting negative health status. Conclusion: The Housing Quality Index (HQI) provides state-level, county-level, and tract-level predicted estimates of housing quality among the occupied U.S. housing stock. HQI estimates allow researchers, administrators, and policymakers to better understand housing quality nationally and within defined jurisdictions. Given that various dimensions of poor housing quality are closely linked to adverse population health outcomes, the HQI can ensure limited resources are adequately targeted for potential interventions.
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    THE INFLUENCE OF TELEMEDICINE ON CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT OF RESPIRATORY DEPARTMENT IN PUBLIC PRIMARY HOSPITALS IN CHINA
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-10-20) Zhang, Junyue; Kong, Xiangrong; Shi, leiyu; Dickson, Conan; Engineer, Lilly; Hou, Yan
    With the rapid development of telemedicine equipment and information communication technology, telemedicine has developed rapidly and is used widely around the world as a new mode of medical service. This new technology has been used widely in China and has benefited a large number of patients. China-Japan Friendship Hospital has actively carried out telemedicine practice. Since the first batch of telemedicine pilots were launched in 1998, three telemedicine centers have been established, including the National Telemedicine and Internet Medical Center, the National Health Commission's telemedicine management and training center, and the National Health Commission's grass-roots telemedicine development guidance center. On the basis of reviewing the development process and current situation of telemedicine at home and abroad, this study is aimed to analyze and study the telemedicine construction of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, mainly including the following three aspects: First of all, collect and analyze the data related to the telemedicine construction of China-Japan Friendship Hospital in the form of questionnaires and descriptive statistics; Secondly, introduce the characteristics of telemedicine construction of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, especially the application of the latest technology such as AI and 5G in telemedicine; Thirdly, introduce and analyze other telemedicine related cases of Guangdong province to provide a more comprehensive understanding of telemedicine.
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    THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF DISPARITY AND UTILIZATION TRENDS IN CANCER SCREENING: A LITERATURE REVIEW, RETROSPECTIVE INVESTIGATION, AND COMMERCIAL CLAIMS ANALYSIS IN THE UNITED STATES
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-10-18) Sun, Jingjing; Frick, Kevin D; Shi, Leiyu; Liang, Hailun; Kong, Xiangrong; Chow, Clifton M.; Gordon, Toby; Wu, Albert
    Objective: This overarching objective of the dissertation is to conduct a comprehensive examination of the disparities and trends in the utilization of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening among different race/ethnicity groups, insurance groups, and geographical locations. Methods: This dissertation consists of three distinct yet interrelated studies and aims to: 1) examine racial/ethnic disparities in recent cancer screening uptake in the U.S. via a systematic literature review of relevant studies incorporating atleast one of four large-scale public health survey databases, as provided in the first study; 2) identify changes in the magnitude of cancer screening disparities among race/ethnicity groups in 2008 and 2018, including the effects of insurance, using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), as detailed in the second study; and 3) investigate trends in cancer screening utilization among commercially insured adults from 2010 to 2019, focusing on geographical variations, using the MarketScan Commercial Claims database, as explored in the third study. Results: The findings from the three studies collectively highlighted enduring disparities in cancer screening utilization across select subgroups. The first two studies revealed enduring racial/ethnic disparities in cancer screening utilization, with non-Hispanic (N.H.) Blacks consistently reporting higher odds of receiving cervical and breast cancer screening compared to N.H. Whites (Study I and II), while Asians reported lower odds across cervical (Study I and II). Despite improvements, significant disparities persisted over time, especially for N.H. Asians. The second study demonstrated that the uninsured were disadvantaged across all cancer types. Geographical disparities were also evident, with higher screening rates among urban residents compared with rural residents, as identified in Study 3. Trends in utilization remained stagnant or declined despite the recognized benefits of early cancer detection. Conclusion: This dissertation highlights the persistent disparities in cancer screening utilization across certain race/ethnicity, insurance, and geographical lines. Despite some improvements, substantial gaps remain, highlighting the importance of addressing underlying factors contributing to disparities among underserved populations and developing targeted interventions.
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    HOW THE COVID PANDEMIC HAS INFLUENCED THE PROCESS OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE REFORM PRIORITY SETTING: A CASE STUDY FROM PAKISTAN
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-10-09) Hannay, Emma Jane; Peters, David H; Gillespie, Duff; Ghaffar, Abdul; Frattaroli, Shannon; Kennedy, Caitlin
    Background: Primary health care is a critical component of health systems, but there is a relative paucity of information on the indirect impact the COVID pandemic may have on primary health care systems in low and low-middle income countries using a policy process lens. Objective: This case study from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan is of a PHC reform agenda from 2020-2023 and aims to contribute to the understanding of the varying effects that the wide-ranging shock of COVID had on prioritization processes within primary healthcare reforms in the province, and early implementation of that reform. Methods and conceptual framework: This analysis draws on 14 in-depth semi-structured interviews from key officials across the provincial government and the wider policy community, complemented with a document analysis. Results were analyzed using health systems themes drawing from a resilient health systems framework, coupled with a process tracing approach to describe the reform process. The outputs of reform analysis were then examined through a modified multiple streams framework/policy feedback theory framework to describe how well the framework could describe the drivers of the reform. Results: The health systems analysis illustrates the breadth of health systems components relevant during the pandemic. Process tracing describes how a reactive public sector primary health care agenda pre-pandemic driven by external priorities evolved into a new reform agenda after the emergency phase of the COVID response. This evolution was contributed to by an increased ability to influence the allocation of resources due to increased political power from perceived successful management of the pandemic amongst health system leadership, a wider appreciation for gaps in health system performance, and sharing of learnings from the reform experience of the neighboring province of Punjab. Conclusion: This case study illustrates the mechanics of how a ‘window of opportunity’ for reform in in LMIC primary health care systems may have been opened due to the COVID pandemic, and how understanding the experience within the system of the pandemic could help inform a reform agenda using policy frameworks to help understand drivers of reform.
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    FARMS, FLEA MARKETS, AND FACEBOOK: PERSPECTIVES ON REGULATION, BIOSECURITY, AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE RISK AMONG PRODUCERS AND POULTRY VENDORS IN MULTIPLE SETTINGS
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-09-26) Cargill, Jessica; Davey-Rothwell, Melissa; Davis, Meghan; Sell, Tara K; Castellan, David; Barnhill, Anne; Nachmann, Keeve; Frattaroli, Shannon
    Flea markets, trade days, and social media groups are used by backyard farmers to buy and sell poultry and provide a means of connection between members of these communities. Poultry are common reservoirs of zoonotic diseases; proper biosecurity practices are critical in preventing outbreaks of infectious disease among flocks and in humans. However, biosecurity regulations in these informal marketplaces range from marginal to nonexistent, and thus an exploration of current knowledge, biosecurity practices, and perceptions on regulation can be useful in developing policy and interventions to ensure good biosecurity and thereby protect animal and public health. This dissertation represents an exploration of the perceptions of regulation among producers and backyard poultry farmers, as well as a survey of current infectious disease and biosecurity knowledge and practices as they relate to selling poultry at informal markets. Formative qualitative research with 31 members of the agricultural provides insight into perceptions on regulation and the role of government in protecting human and animal health, demonstrating perceived sense of overregulation, distrust for the motives of policymakers, and a desire to be included in decision making. These findings were extended through two studies that assessed the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and risk perceptions of poultry sellers at informal marketplaces. We conducted surveys (n=31) and supplemental interviews (n=5) with poultry sellers at flea markets in Texas, and then adapted the survey to backyard flock owners on social media poultry groups (n=83). In both groups, knowledge of infectious disease was moderate, attitudes were positive toward biosecurity and were negative toward government; risk perceptions for infectious diseases were low; and biosecurity behaviors were moderately good, except for key practices such as vaccination and reporting notifiable diseases. This research represents a foundational step towards improved biosecurity in informal poultry marketplaces; the findings suggest that interventions might be more successful through 1) a combination of education, risk communication, and mentoring programs to address knowledge gaps in infectious disease and biosecurity, and 2) an appreciation of the lived experience of poultry vendors. In these ways, informal marketplaces can become safer venues for poultry sales that prioritize and protect animal and human health.
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    ON THE FOOD SOVEREIGNTY PATH: ESTABLISHING A HYBRID FOR-PROFIT/NONPROFIT AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE ON THE NAVAJO NATION TO IMPROVE EARLY CHILDHOOD NUTRITION
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-10-09) Ben, Mary; Gittleson, Joel; Knowlton, Amy; Angell, Sonia; Benjamin-Neelon, Sara; Allison-Burbank, Joshuaa
    Theory: Food insecurity continues to proliferate on the Navajo Nation. To combat this, it is critical that more indigenous farmers find innovative ways to navigate systemic structural challenges and increase agricultural production. Toward this end, this study examines the organizational strategies, economic opportunities, potential for growth and key results of establishing on the Navajo Nation an agricultural cooperative that combines for-profit and nonprofit entities, under a so-called “hybrid model,” to improve nutrition and population health outcomes in early childhood (0-5 years) and beyond. Methods: This study uses the Johns Hopkins University “Workplace Challenge” dissertation framework, consisting of an organizational assessment, economic evaluation, plan for new service/program and discussion of implications. I apply it to two entities: Bidii Baby Foods (BBF), a for-profit Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) and the first agricultural cooperative registered domestically on the Navajo Nation; and the BEN Initiative, a not-for-profit corporation registered in the State of New Mexico and recognized as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Code. For the organizational assessment I use the Balanced Scorecard strategic planning and management tool to develop and apply key indicators to Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) performance data. Using a Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis, I conduct an economic evaluation and score the social impact of the hybrid model on the healthcare costs associated with treating childhood overweight and obesity. In the Plan for New Program component, I combine a literature review, conceptual framework and implementation planning to identify best practices in developing a successful “farmer incubator” training/mentoring program. Results: The Balanced Scorecard assessment of the BBF/BEN Initiative hybrid model focuses on four domains using FY22 data: Financial, Customer, Learning & Growth and Internal Business. I analyzed each and identified six areas for improvement. I calculated the running costs of a scaled-up five-year program designed to meet the nutritional demands of Navajo Nation children aged 0-5 years and found the hybrid model achieved a 3:1 SROI. Conclusion: The BBF/BEN Initiative hybrid provides a unique and effective business model for increasing food sovereignty and improving early childhood nutrition on the Navajo Nation.
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    JOHNS HOPKINS HEALTH SYSTEM EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-07-31) Altaf, Arwa; Links, Jon; Enigneer , Lilly; Morlock, Laura; Hussain, Amyna; Carter, Rob; Maragakis, Lisa; Hsu, Yea-Jen
    This doctoral dissertation uses the workplace challenge format and was conducted in the 5 of the 6 hospitals of the Johns Hopkins Health System, varying across the sections of the study. The 6 hospitals are The Johns Hopkins Hospital, The Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Inc., Howard County General Hospital, Sibley Memorial Hospital, Suburban Hospital, and The Johns Hopkins All Children’s Health System in the United States. The dissertation’s primary aim was to identify the top hazards that each organization was at risk for and to assess their level of emergency preparedness to face these hazards. This information will help in structuring and prioritizing the emergency management program efforts to develop a comprehensive all-hazards approach for the Health System to prepare and respond to emergencies. It will also strengthen the emergency preparedness and response capabilities, thereby enhancing the resilience of Johns Hopkins Health System in the face of emergencies. An organizational assessment of the Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Emergency Management (JHMOEM) was performed in the areas of leadership, operations, workforce, measurement analysis, and knowledge management using the Baldrige Excellence Framework (Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, 2021). Surveys were used to collect the information from the key stakeholders of the JHMOEM. The hazard vulnerability analysis results of the year 2021 of the five hospitals were used to assess the level of emergency preparedness of the Johns Hopkins Health System's hospitals for the top five hazards. The top five hazards each organization was at risk for and how prepared it was to face them were identified. Also, the top hazards that the Johns Hopkins Health System's Hospitals as a whole were at risk for were identified and prioritized. The emergency operation plans and the hospital’s online policies of the five hospitals were reviewed in order to evaluate the hospitals' preparedness for the top five hazards specific to each hospital in relation to their preparedness scores. The lessons learned, role of the leadership, and the potential interventions in creating an all-hazard approach to emergency preparedness and response were mentioned in the discussion section.
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    Fostering Faculty Engagement and Knowledge Sharing in Higher Education
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-12-04) Phillips, Jennifer S.; Smith, Henry M.; Peters, Laurence; Reid, Alan
    The increasing reliance on adjunct faculty in higher education calls for innovative strategies to address their professional development needs and foster a sense of community among educators. This dissertation study focuses on an independent art college, which confronts the unique challenge of a fully adjunct faculty and a fragmented urban campus with limited shared spaces. This situation has led to historically low faculty participation in professional development activities and a reported lack of community among instructors. Professional development research shows that ongoing interaction and collaboration among faculty members is required to improve teachers’ classroom practice. So, the college’s pending mass retirement within its experienced faculty population heightens the urgency of cultivating a community of shared learning. The findings from in-depth interviews with faculty members in a needs assessment study revealed a faculty culture characterized by isolation and a desire for more meaningful interactions with their teaching peers. Drawing from insights gained through synthesizing literature on self-determination theory (SDT) and participatory design research, the proposed treatment is the design and implementation of a virtual faculty common (FC). The treatment process utilizes the participatory design approach to drive iterative development and to promote the FC from an authentic faculty perspective. Principles from SDT are incorporated into the FC design and communication strategy to support sustained use of the FC and to inform the methodology for the subsequent impact study. The faculty common impact study employs a mixed methods research design to assess the effects of increased knowledge sharing and collaboration with basic psychological needs satisfaction as the mediating variable.
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    ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP BETWEEN STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES AND THEIR NON-DISABLED PEERS IN INCLUSION CLASSROOM SETTINGS
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-11-29) Williams, Brittney T; Barbour, Kristin; Flores- Shaw , Laura; Duvall, Natalie
    The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) emphasize improved academic outcomes for students with disabilities. Additionally, IDEA ensures that public and private school students have the right to be educated with their non-disabled peers in the least restrictive environment. Students with disabilities (SWDs) spend at least 80% of their time in the general education setting. However only 8% of SWDs in Washington, DC perform on grade level, compared to 50% of students without disabilities performing on grade level. Using focus groups and surveys, teachers in Washington, DC were able to share their experiences, perspectives, and views regarding teaching SWDs in their inclusion classrooms. The results of this qualitative study showed that teachers desire more professional development around special education law, pedagogy, and IEPs to feel more confident using inclusion pedagogy to support teaching SWDs.
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    Toward a Praxis of Culturally Proactive Family–School–Community Partnerships: Implications on Teacher Education and Development in Independent Schools
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-11-27) Trieu, Kipp K; Sheldon, Steven; Abel, Yolanda; Talusan, Liza
    Family–school–community (FSC) partnerships are known to be impactful to student outcomes. However, though many partnership initiatives aspire to include all families, and there is an increasing body of resources for schools to do so, historically marginalized families often do not have access to these initiatives in a meaningful way. This issue is particularly salient in independent schools, given the history of exclusion in these institutions. As such, there is an opportunity for educators to examine the development and use of inclusive practices to ensure access and belonging for all families. In this dissertation, I propose a Praxis of Culturally Proactive Family–School–Community Partnerships, fusing existing research around FSC partnerships with social justice frameworks to give form to dispositions educators should espouse around FSC partnerships. Then, drawing upon the Praxis of Culturally Proactive FSC Partnerships and existing literature on effective transformational professional development to inform instructional design, I describe a participant-centered and identity-based professional development module designed for preservice and current educators to develop identity awareness, cultural proactiveness and equity literacy in FSC partnerships, and strategies to help educators act for meaningful relationships and partnerships with the families they serve.
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    Fostering Graduate Student Creative Problem Solving in a Professional Military Education Context
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-11-27) Sparks, Timothy A.; Ronau, Robert N; Arciero, Anthony; Paré-Blagoev, E. Juliana
    In military contexts, a tension exists between the need for rapid, unquestioning obedience to orders, especially early in one’s career, and the need for senior leaders to solve complex problems creatively. For officers in the Marine Corps, a key milestone in their careers is the Marine Corps’ Command and Staff College, an intermediate-level professional military education master’s degree program. In 2015, the College, and the wider Marine Corps University community, established a plan to improve student creative problem solving; however, the plan did not meet its outcome goals by 2021. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, using a convergent parallel mixed methods design, this study examined factors related to creative problem solving and their application to Command and Staff College curriculum. Key results of interviews, surveys, and secondary data analysis included the perceived need for additional time for students to think creatively, and the need to address the tension between authoritarian thinking and the imperative to develop new creative solutions. The second part of this study examined an intervention designed to give students more time to think and to give them structural, metacognitive supports for their thinking. Using a quasi-experimental design, the two key factors of concern for the study were metacognition and creative problem solving. Improvements in the students’ metacognitive abilities were expected to lead to improvements in their creative problem-solving ability. Quantitative results showed no significant improvement in creative problem solving while there was actually a significant decrease in perceived metacognitive ability for both the comparison and intervention groups. According to explanatory interviews, one key factor in these results may have been the use of a perception survey, in which decreases in one’s perception of one’s metacognitive ability might mask actual improvements in real metacognitive ability. Another factor that emerged from the explanatory interviews was the need for the intervention to be more fully integrated across the whole curriculum. This study underscores the difficulty of making significant changes to student creative problem solving, especially in a military community. Further study could examine the relationship between perceptions of metacognitive ability and actual metacognitive ability.
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    RETHINKING PRACTICE: A GUIDE TO DESIGNING VISITOR-CENTERED EXPERIENCES IN ART EXHIBITIONS
    (Johns Hopkins University, 2023-11-22) Vasquez, Maria Denisse; Saltiel, Iris M; JohnBull, Ranjini M; Caswell, Teresa
    Art exhibitions are informal learning environments that offer visitors wide-ranging possibilities for meaningful engagement with the arts. However, art exhibitions have been associated with social and cultural exclusion as specialized language in exhibition texts and labels may pose barriers to visitors unfamiliar with the art world. Through a multi-method approach, an empirical study was conducted to understand visitors' perceptions of their experience at an art exhibition in Guatemala City and the role of museum texts and labels. Findings revealed participants (n = 13) described their experience as connected to reflection, aesthetic appreciation, and peacefulness. The art exhibition had two types of labels. Participants perceived exhibition texts and labels both as too intellectual and oversimplified. Informed by an exploration of the literature focused on designing art exhibitions for specific purposes, this dissertation developed a guide for practice containing a framework for critical reflection, research-informed practice, and collaborative inquiry. The guide's purpose is to support practitioners by offering a tool to reflect on their work and consider the visitor as central to the process of designing an art exhibition.