Background High blood pressure is an independent risk factor of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and is a major cause of disability and death. Managing a healthy lifestyle has been shown to reduce blood pressure and improve health outcomes. We aim to investigate the effectiveness of a lifestyle modification intervention program for lowering blood pressure in a rural area of Bangladesh. Methods A single-center cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT). The study will be conducted for 6 months, a total of 300 participants of age 30 to 75 years with 150 adults in each of the intervention and the control arms. The intervention arm will involve the delivery of a blended learning education program on lifestyle changes for the management of high blood pressure. The education program comprises evidence-based information with pictures, fact sheets, and published literature about the effects of high blood pressure on CVD development, increased physical activity, and the role of a healthy diet in blood pressure management. The control group involves providing information booklets and general advice at the baseline data collection point. The primary outcome will be the absolute difference in clinic SBP and DBP. Secondary outcomes include the difference in the percentage of people adopting regular exercise habits, cessation of smoking and reducing sodium chloride intake, health literacy of all participants, and the perceived barriers and enablers to adopt behavior changes by collecting qualitative data. Analyses will include analysis of covariance to report the mean difference in blood pressure between the control and the intervention group and the difference in change in blood pressure due to the intervention. Discussion The study will assess the effects of physical activity and lifestyle modification in controlling high blood pressure. This study will develop new evidence as to whether a simple lifestyle program implemented in a rural region of a low- and middle-income country will improve blood pressure parameters for people with different chronic diseases by engaging community people. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04505150. Registered on 7 August 2020

The analysis of network traffic in a heterogeneous network medium with wireless and wired networks is critical for cellular network operation. It is crucial that QoS be maintained end-to-end while transmitting data/ video across a wireless medium. We have analyzed the network traffic in terms of performance metrics and developed a data model that will be used for a test bed application. Test agents will be embedded in all network devices and will report to a central test server, which will be used to monitor and manage the network parameters. We intend to use these measures to develop performance evaluation models, follow set standards in software process development, collect real time data to validate our models and use quantitative techniques to analyze these results.

This study takes a refreshing look at IT outsourcing from a vendor's perspective and discusses best practices required to effectively manage offshore business needs and offshoring effectiveness. We have conducted a detailed investigation to learn why outsourcing ventures fail, how to effectively measure up to service provider capability, and how to deliver strategic value to the end customer. Extant literature does not talk about the vendor's issues and problems in outsourcing, and our investigation emphasized the vendor's perspective on offshoring strategy and offshore resource effectiveness as the two important differentiators in a make-or-buy decision. Measurement metrics for each of the two items were devised to estimate their effect on offshoring effectiveness. We spoke to some of the top 10 IT vendors in India, collected offshoring data from both clients and vendors, and used the data to validate our decision framework. The framework helps us to investigate current industry practices in IT outsourcing, identify issues and problems beyond the obvious advantages of outsourcing, and propose measures to assess offshoring effectiveness. The investigation gave us an opportunity to record the best IT practices as well as suggest possible improvements in the service or product delivery cycle to enhance customer experience. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The thesis is a result of a collective effort made by many individuals. First, thanks are due to my subject matter expert at SJSU, Mr. S.K. Reddy who has provided valuable input on outsourcing from both a client and vendor's perspective. Drawing on his vast experience as global alliance manager of multinational corporations, he has also helped me understand outsourcing issues which are not available in fine print. Second, great appreciation is due to my committee members, Mr. Bharat Marathe and Dr. Jerry Gao, who brought in valuable insights to my paper from their rich experience and were always there to lend a helping hand. Thirdly, I am thankful to my wife who has made many sacrifices to accommodate my irregular writing habits and the long hours I have spent brooding on my thesis, and was always there as a pillar of support and encouragement. The efforts of Alena Filip, the IRB/Thesis coordinator for the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, are commended. Alena's involvement and efforts at helping students achieve success by being informed and prepared are noteworthy. Lastly, additional thanks are due to the input from the readers of the thesis as well as many others, who remain anonymous, and to all the faculty who have identified ways to help me in the path to success in completing a well written and readable thesis. v

This study discusses IT outsourcing from a vendor's perspective and proposes measures to improve offshoring effectiveness. A detailed investigation was conducted to learn why outsourcing ventures fail, how to effectively measure up to service provider capability, and how to deliver strategic value to the end customer with an emphasis on offshoring strategy and offshore resource effectiveness as the two important differentiators in a make-or-buy decision. Measurement metrics for each of the two items were devised to estimate their effect on offshoring effectiveness. We spoke to some of the top 10 IT vendors in India, collected offshoring data from both clients and vendors, and used the data to validate our decision framework. The framework helped us to investigate current industry practices in IT outsourcing, identify issues and problems beyond the obvious advantages of outsourcing, and propose measures to assess offshoring effectiveness. The investigation gave us an insight on how industry practices differ, and an opportunity to record the best practices and suggest possible improvements in the service or product delivery cycle to enhance customer experience.