Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Extensively grazed'

There is little evidence that the productivity of New Zealand beef herds has improved over time. Data from the NZ Meat and Wool Board’s Economic Service (2006) suggest that the average national calving percentage has declined over the last two decades. During the same period cattle carcass weights have increased but so too has the average cow live-weight which has resulted in increased maintenance costs of the cow herds. It is unclear whether production efficiency in the industry has improved or declined over time. The aim of this research was to develop means of improving productivity in commercial beef herds through practical methods of performance recording. The objectives were firstly to establish current management practices in commercial herds and secondly to develop an objective system for cow selection and culling which would have practical application in commercial herds. Beef management survey Ninety two commercial beef producers with more than 100 breeding cows from the greater Canterbury region of New Zealand were surveyed. Pasture control was the main reason given for owning a beef herd. Size and conformation were the main selection criteria for choosing replacement heifers and bulls. Over 80% of herds retained their own heifers as replacements and >60% mated yearling heifers to first calve at two years of age. Fertility was poor in the surveyed herds. In-calf rates at pregnancy testing averaged 88% for maiden heifers, 92% for rising second calvers and 93% for mixed age (m.a.) cows. There was no significant difference between in-calf rates of maiden heifers mated to first calve at two or three years of age; nor was there any significant difference between the re-breeding success of the two groups. Heifers mated at least one week earlier than m.a. cows, achieved a re-breeding success 4.7% greater (P<.01) than those mated at the same time. Reasons for cows not weaning a calf included wet dry (9.3% of pregnant cows wintered), pregnancy tested not-in-calf (7.4%) and dam death (2.6%). Only 87.9% of pregnant females wintered weaned a calf (89.4% of m.a. cows and 84.9% of heifers). Reasons why cows exited the herds included diagnosed empty (37.2% of all exits), involuntary culls (25.4%), sold wet dry (16.2%), deaths (13.1%) and poor calf production (5.1%). Vaccination was infrequent with clostridial vaccines the most common in m.a. cows (15.2%) and in calves (40.7%); vaccination against Leptospirosis was much less common. Very few of the surveyed farms used any system of performance recording; as a result there was very little performance-based selection or culling practiced. Evaluation of alternative measures of cow productivity Data from four performance recording beef herds were used to compare alternative measures of cow productivity with the industry standard which is calf weaning weight adjusted for sex (SOC) and age of calf and age of dam (AOD), i.e. the “200 day weight.” None of the alternative measures evaluated required knowledge of calving date and all were relatively easily obtainable in extensively managed beef herds. The assessment of cows was based not on their estimated breeding values but instead on their most probable producing ability which, as the sum of all of the permanent, repeatable aspects of the calf-rearing ability of the cow, explains considerably more of the variance of weaning weight than does breeding value alone. SOC and AOD-adjusted marking weight, weaning weight and average daily gain (ADG) between marking and weaning were the traits mostly highly correlated with the 200d wt of calves (r = 0.68, 0.90 and 0.74. respectively). An Extensively- Grazed-Cow-Weaning-Index of these three indicator traits was found to be more highly correlated than any of the individual traits on their own (r = 0.94). Index weights for the three indicator traits were calculated within each herd and then those within-herd index weights were regressed on readily obtainable herd descriptive variables to obtain a regression equation that could predict index weights for any herd. When the model was applied to data from two additional herd years not included in the original model, the EGCW Index was highly correlated with the 200d weights (r>0.90). Performance-based culling of previously unselected commercial beef herds based on the EGCW Index will result in improved productivity due to the moderately high repeatability of calf weaning weight. Objective data from extensively grazed commercial herds will also make possible the use of commercial herd data in genetic evaluations of herd sires.

CITE/Language Arts
Ed.D.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the overall effectiveness of extensive reading, and whether learners' ages impact learning from extensive reading differently. The second purpose is to investigate whether the length of time that second language learners engaged in extensive reading influenced outcome measures, and if an effect is found, identify effective periods of time for learners to engage in extensive reading. Meta-analysis was used to investigate the trends shown by past empirical research, chart future research directions, and provide a means to create alternative hypotheses for future research. Two types of empirical studies were conducted: group contrasts of studies that included control groups and pre-post contrasts of studies that only include experimental groups. This meta-analysis included 34 studies that provided 43 unique effect sizes (22 effect sizes for group contrasts and 21 effect sizes for pre-post contrasts) and a total sample size of 3,942 participants. Students who received extensive reading instruction outperformed those who did not. The effect size was small for group contrasts (d = .46) and medium for pre-post contrasts (d = .71). Moderator variables for each contrast were examined to assess the impact of learners' ages and the length of instruction; however, all groups substantially overlapped with each other in terms of their confidence intervals, indicating no statistically significant difference among the groups. There was a small effect size for university students for the group contrast (d = .48), a medium effect for high school students (d = .61), a large effect for university students (d = 1.12), and a large effect for adults (d = 1.48) for pre-post contrasts. In terms of the length of instruction, both one semester of instruction (d = .36) and one year of instruction (d = .52) produced a small effect for group contrasts, while one year of instruction produced a medium effect (d = .74) for pre-post contrasts. In sum, the available extensive reading research to date suggests that extensive reading improves students' reading proficiency and should therefore be a part of foreign language reading curricula.  
Temple University--Theses

The aim of this essay is to explore in what way Graded Readers are different from authentic texts against the background of English as a Second Language (ESL) and the use of authentic and simplified text in ESL teaching. The material used for this purpose is the authentic text of Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë and two upper-intermediate Graded Readers from two different publishers. The study uses the software readability-score and manual analysis to examine the texts with regards to lexical choice, language structure and story. The study showed that the Graded Readers are simplified in all aspects studied. Moreover, the Graded Readers differ from each other as well, most notably in the style of the text due to sentence structure and story simplification. This could imply that different authors of Graded Readers adopt different styles when simplifying text and that the grading levels are not comparable between different publishers.

Engelska

Les toitures végétalisées (TTV) existent en deux types : extensive (EGR) et intensive (IGR). Ils diffèrent principalement par le type de végétation et la profondeur du substrat. Ces travaux de recherche visent à atteindre les objectifs suivants : 1. Déterminer et comparer les impacts environnementaux d’un toit de gravier ballasté traditionnel (TGBR), d’une toiture réfléchissante (WRR), EGR, et IGR ; 2. Quantifier la performance énergétique d’un TGBR et d’une EGR ; 3. Évaluer le potentiel de gestion d’eau et la dynamique de ruissellement d’un TGBR et d’une EGR. Le 1er objectif a été atteint suite à une Analyse comparative de Cycle de Vie (ACV) d’une EGR réelle de 834 m2 et de trois toits fictifs : TGBR, WRR, et IGR. Les résultats indiquent qu’une EGR présente les impacts environnementaux les plus bas pour les 15 catégories d'impacts considérées. Les aspects thermiques et hydriques des TTV ont été testés suite à l’installation d'une maquette TGBR et de deux maquettes EGR sur le toit du département de génie chimique à l'Université de Balamand, Liban. EGR8 et EGR16 sont des maquettes EGR qui diffèrent par la pente ainsi que la profondeur et la composition du substrat. Les profils de température indiquent la réduction des fluctuations de température, l'effet de stockage de chaleur, et l'effet de refroidissement passif. L'étude économique montre que EGR pourrait économiser jusqu'à 45USD/200m2/mois par rapport à TGBR. D’autre part, les profils de la teneur en eau ont démontré que la composition du sol d’EGR8 est plus efficace que celle d’EGR16. En revanche, EGR agit comme un système filtrant surtout pour le cadmium, le fer, le calcium et l'ammonium
Vegetative roofs (VRs) can be classified into two types : Extensive (EGR) and Intensive (IGR). The main differences between the two are the type of vegetation, the depth of the substrate. This research aims to achieve the following objectives : 1. Determine and compare the potential environmental impacts of traditional gravel ballasted roofs (TGBRs), white reflective roofs (WRRs), EGRs, and IGRs ; 2. Evaluate and compare the energy performance and the heating/cooling demand of TGBRs and EGRs ; 3. Determine and compare the water management potential and the runoff dynamics of TGBRs and EGRs. The first objective was covered by performing a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on a real EGR of 834m2 and on three fictitious roofs of the sane area : of TGBRs, WRRs, and IGRs. Results indicated that the EGR had the least potential environmental impacts for the 15 impact categories considered. The second and third objectives were achieved by first installing one TGBR mockup and two EGR mockups on the rooftop of the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Balamand, Lebanon. EGR8 and EGR16 are EGR mockups differed in the roof slope, the depth and the composition of their substrate. Temperature profiles at different substrate depths clearly indicated the reduction of the temperature fluctuations under the substrate layer, the heat storage effect, and the passive cooling effect. The economic study showed that EGR could save up to 45USD/200m2/month compared to TGBR. The water management performance of EGRs illustrated that the soil composition of EGR8 was more efficient than that of EGR16. In contrast, EGR acted as a sink especially for cadmium, iron, calcium, and ammonium

Analyse d'environ 6250 groupes de muons enregistres par le detecteur du frejus situe a une profondeur equivalente a 4800 m d'eau. La comparaison de la distribution de la multiplicite observee avec une loi de puissance a permis de constater une deviation au-dela de m=11. Etude de la distribution laterale des muons. En supposant une dependance exponentielle par rapport a la distance a l'axe de la gerbe, on analyse l'evolution de la distance caracteristique par rapport a la multiplicite vraie n a la profondeur du laboratoire. L'interpretation des resultats en termes de composition chimique du rayonnement cosmique primaire dans la region du pev est en faveur d'une composition relativement legere: loga=0,8

碩士
國立清華大學
外國語文學系
94
In extensive reading (ER) programs conducted in L2 language-learning classrooms in the past two decades, graded readers (GR) have been the most frequently adopted outside-reading materials. Another less known genre which can be utilized in an extensive reading program is young adult literature (YAL)—literature written especially for native-speaking young adults (Bushman & Bushman, 1997). Its most prominent advantages are the naturalness and authenticity of language and its use of themes that are more familiar to readers of similar ages. Since it is not until recent years that YAL has gradually aroused widespread interests, discussion of how well different genres such as GR and YAL impact on students’ learning achievement remains exceedingly rare (Sheu, 2003). The current study, therefore, aimed to probe the differences between applying GR and YAL respectively to an extensive reading program embedded in a junior high school English curriculum in Taiwan. The key point is to see whether simplified texts represented by GR or authentic texts like YAL benefit students more in gaining a significant improvement in the breadth of vocabulary knowledge, the depth of vocabulary knowledge, reading comprehension ability, and grammatical knowledge. Tests used include Vocabulary Levels Test, Word Associates Test, the reading portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, and structure sections from The Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students. The participants were two classes of junior three students in a renowned private secondary school in Ming-Shiung, Chia-Yi. They received the same amount of normal English instruction and each also had one extensive reading class on a regular two-week basis. Whilst one group used GR in the extensive reading sessions, the other group had YAL. The result of all the test measures indicated that in general, GR and YAL brought similar advantages to secondary-school EFL learners in the acquisition of English but there was a tendency for GR to be more helpful in the tests of basic grammar, frequent vocabulary, and reading comprehension whilst YAL was more advantageous in tests of less frequent vocabulary and word usages. The main pedagogical implication is that as long as students devote time to extra readings for a sufficient time-span, their overall language ability in various aspects will be promoted, regardless of the type of text—GR or YAL—that is used. Second, students’ knowledge in selecting suitable reading materials is crucial to their attitudes toward the reading program and the success of English learning. Therefore, an orientation before the reading program is essential. Last, the observed tendency for GR to be more effective for lower level knowledge and YAL for higher level knowledge can tentatively serve as a guideline for teachers’ and students’ selections of different types of reading materials.

碩士
國立成功大學
外國語文學系專班
96
Previous researches have shown that with graded readers, adult EFL learners of intermediate and advanced language abilities might acquire vocabulary knowledge incidentally. Through meaningful interaction with the text, there is gradual but steady incremental growth of vocabulary knowledge. But the effects of extensive reading on the incidental acquisition of vocabulary among young beginning EFL learners remain unknown. Furthermore, study on the effects of extensive reading with graded readers on the acquisition of grammatical knowledge of past tense is nonexistent. One purpose of the present study is to bridge the gaps by examining the effects of extensive reading with graded readers on the incidental word knowledge learning of a 12-year-old Taiwanese learner of English as a foreign language. Specifically, we sought to investigate the effects of extensive reading on the learner’s acquisition and retention of (1) the receptive vocabulary knowledge of nouns, and (2) of the productive morphological knowledge about the past tense forms of regular and irregular verbs over a period of 4 weeks of extensive reading activity. For the first purpose, 35 unfamiliar nouns with varied frequencies of occurrence in 13 graded readers at the elementary level of the Cambridge English Readers were tracked. For the second, 45 verbs, 22 regular and 23 irregular, with varied frequencies of occurrence, were targeted in the same reading text. A modified vocabulary knowledge scale (MVKS) measured the learner’s receptive word knowledge of the target nouns before and after the reading treatment. A sentence-writing task of the MVKS measured the participant’s productive morphological knowledge of the target verb past tense forms before and after the extensive reading treatment. The study found that the higher frequency range the noun fell into, the better chance the receptive word knowledge of nouns was acquired and retained. The newly acquired receptive word knowledge suffered significant attrition after a lapse of four weeks, though. A thresh hold of 14 times of occurrence of a target noun existed for this EFL leaner to crossover so that incidental acquisition might take place. Of the 35 valid target nouns, the participant showed no growth of word knowledge about 24 nouns (69%), demonstrated recognition of the word types about seven nouns (20%), and full understanding of word meanings about four nouns (11%). With regard to the effect of extensive reading on the participant’s acquisition of the productive morphological knowledge of past tense in a sentential context, extensive reading increased the participant’s ability of using correct verbal past tense types, both regulars and irregulars. Nevertheless, the retention of the productive morphological knowledge about the past tense forms of regular verbs and irregular verbs diverged after 4 weeks. The former showed an escalating tendency, while the latter showed a dwindling direction. In sum, the young EFL learner managed to incidentally acquire new word knowledge and retained some of the newly acquired knowledge.

This study analyzes ten beginning-level, Spanish-language graded readers in an attempt to answer the question of how much vocabulary do students need to know before being able to successfully participate in an extensive reading program. The study also analyzes the vocabulary taught in a beginning-level Spanish textbook to determine how well this vocabulary reflects the most common words in Spanish according to a frequency dictionary. It was found that a lexicon of 5,000 words was needed to obtain a sufficient level of comprehension in order for extensive reading to occur and that the textbook examined in this study did not present vocabulary that was extremely reflective of the most common words in the Spanish language.

The diploma thesis deals with the relationship between graded readers and teaching vocabulary. We examine whether extensive reading leads to vocabulary acquisition on the basis of context provided by graded readers. In addition, we focus on the frequency of occurrence of individual lexical items and we interpret it as an important variable in teaching lexis. These two factors are compared using test data from two groups of experiment participants. The first group (the reading group) was asked to read the text at their own pace, while the second group was asked to read the text while listening to it being narrated by an English native speaker. Based on hitherto research, the listening group is expected to outperform the reading group. After introducing the topic in chapter 1, we attempt to define extensive reading in chapter 2. Graded readers are based on providing sufficient amount of context for understanding unknown vocabulary. In this chapter we contrast practical application of extensive reading with theoretical foundation in secondary literature. Chapter 3 delineates the methodology used in the present thesis. It is based on replicating a study by Waring and Takaki (2003), and also on research into audio- assisted reading. This methodology is used to measure the efficiency of reading and...

Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Civil
Tendo-se registado nos últimos anos um forte investimento ao nível de redes de saneamento em “alta”, torna-se necessária a definição de uma metodologia de gestão deste tipo de empreendimentos, que são exigentes não só ao nível técnico-económico, como também ao nível de coordenação e gestão com diversas entidades, sejam elas clientes, entidades financiadoras, Concedente ou Entidade Reguladora. Constatou-se a inexistência de qualquer estudo ou trabalho sobre esta temática em particular pelo que, consultando bibliografia nacional e internacional, bem como através de consulta exaustiva a entidades gestoras de redes em “alta”, constitui-se como um desafio aliciante a definição de metodologias, caminhos e metas sobre esta temática. Abordar-se-á por isso todo o percurso da concepção do empreendimento de construção de uma rede completa de saneamento em “alta”, desde que nasce a intenção de o fazer até ao lançamento a Concurso da empreitada, ou seja, desde a definição da equipa de gestão de projecto, à elaboração dos estudos de engenharia até à disponibilização dos terrenos necessários à execução da construção. Tocar-se-ão os pontos críticos da gestão deste tipo de empreendimentos, quer ao nível técnico, económico, quer também ao nível da tomada de decisão e de definição de compromissos, a todos os níveis, entre a entidade gestora da rede e os seus clientes.
In the past few years, a strong investment has been registered concerning the wastewater facilities network, so the definition of a management methodology of this kind of projects has become necessary. These enterprises are demanding, not only concerning their technical and economic level, but also at the co-ordination and management level with several entities, such as clients, banks, Minister or Regulating Entity. Consulting national and international bibliography, as well as seeking information, in a wearisome way, next to the wastewater facilities management entities, the reached conclusion was that there is no kind of study or project work on this subject, in particular. Like this, the definition of methodologies, ways and goals on this subject becomes an alluring challenge. The way from the conception of the construction’s enterprise of a complete wastewater facilities network, from the intention of the construction to the casting of the contract job, that is, from the setting of the project management team, the preparation of the engineering studies to the availability of the needed ground plots and the performance of the construction will be approached. Critical aspects of management of this kind of enterprises, both at technical and economic level, as well as at the level of reaching a decision and defining agreements, at all levels, between the management entity and its clients, will be referred.

This diploma thesis Extensive reading - Position and Practices of Using Graded Readers in Prague Grammar schools and Students' Attitudes to a Particular Programme presents the phenomenon of extensive reading. It looks into its history, theoretical grounding, the existing body of empirical research, graded readers and benefits for English language teaching and learning. The analytical part gives reasons for the contrast between the great potential of extensive reading for the student's improvement on the one hand, and the implementation which has been infrequent and often at odds with the principles on the other. To find the reasons, the theoretical part analysed the situation of the English language teaching in countries which had implemented extensive reading into the curriculum. In the research part it assesses the scale and the practices of using graded readers in all relevant grammar schools in Prague. In the second part of the survey of grammar schools, it focuses on a grammar school in Mělník, which has been systematically using GRs. It examines the students' attitudes towards the practices of reading GRs in order to assess the potential and the limits of the European Union financed project I read, you read, we read. Key words: Extensive reading, Methodology of English Teaching, Implicit...