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1
Smith, Sarah A. "A molecular phylogenetic study of the Eugongylus group of skinks /." Title page, table of contents and abstract only, 2001. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phs659.pdf.
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Portik, Daniel M. "Comparative phylogeography of two skink species in southern Africa." Click here for download, 2009. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1827435511&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=3260&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Villanova University, 2009.Biology Dept. "Funding for this study provided by the National Science Foundation (grant number: DEB 0515909)"-- l. ii. Includes bibliographical references.
3
Robert, Kylie. "Temperature-dependent sex determination in the viviparous lizard, Eulamprus tympanum." Connect to full text, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/557.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2004.Title from title screen (viewed 5 May 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science. Degree awarded 2004; thesis submitted 2003. Appendices contains published articles co-authored by Robert. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.
4
Telemeco, Rory S. "Are reproductive life history traits of Australian three-lined skinks fixed or phenotypically plastic? /." Read online, 2009. http://library.uco.edu/UCOthesis/TelemecoRS2009.pdf.
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Sumner, Joanna Mary. "The ecology and population genetics of the prickly forest skink in a fragmented habitat /." St. Lucia, Qld, 2001. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe16515.pdf.
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Bellamy, Stephen. "Resource partitioning between two sympatric Australian skinks, Egernia multiscutata and Egernia whitii." Connect to this title online, 2006. http://catalogue.flinders.edu.au/local/adt/public/adt-SFU20070124.145924/index.html.
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Brown, Richard P. "Microevolution and ecophysiology of Canary Island skinks (Chalcides)." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 1990. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk/R?func=search-advanced-go&find_code1=WSN&request1=AAIU031703.
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Within-island geographic variation in three character systems (body dimensions, scalation, colour pattern) and in life history is described in the Gran Canarian skink (Chalcides sexlineatus). Numerical methods used to describe patterns of geographic variation include contouring, principal components analysis, multiple group principal components analysis and canonical variates analysis. The primary patterns of geographic variation are north-east/south-west clines, although altitudinal variation is also evident in some characters. Several hypothesized causes of the variation are erected and tested using Mantel Tests and partial correlation. This points to lush/arid ecotone adaptation as the cause. A suggestion by previous workers that there are two species on the island is rejected. Patterns of geographic variation in Chalcides viridanus on the neighbouring island of Tenerife are described and tested against hypotheses using similar methods. Tenerife shows similar lush/arid variation to that in Gran Canaria. Parallel patterns of geographic variation in morphology are found, most notably in colour pattern. This strongly suggests that adaptation to current ecological conditions, rather than ancient population vicariance, is the cause. Geographic variation in anti-predator strategy can explain the colour pattern microevolution. Ecological differences between populations of C. sexlineatus are investigated to elucidate the actual selection pressures acting on different aspects of the animals' morphology. Some thermoregulatory and also dietary and prey size differences are found among populations. Daily energy expenditure and water flux are compared among skinks from northern and southern populations in the field, using the doubly-labelled water technique. Between-population differences in energy expenditure can be attributed to body size differences.
8
Freeman, Karen Louise Mary. "The ecology and conservation genetics of the Gongylomorphus skinks of Mauritius." Thesis, Queen Mary, University of London, 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.409928.
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Whiting, Alison Swindle. "Phylogenetic Systematics and Evolution within the Family Scincidae." Diss., CLICK HERE for online access, 2004. http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/etd361.pdf.
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Catena, Angeline M. "Neoichnology of Two Scincoid Lizards and Pennsylvanian Paleosols: Improving Interpretations of Continental Tracemakers and Soil Environments." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2012. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1338423610.
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Marshall, Jane Elizabeth, and n/a. "The role of colour and odour in fruit selection by diurnal, endemic skinks (Oligosoma) in Aotearoa / New Zealand." University of Otago. Department of Botany, 2006. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20070209.154142.
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The flora of Aotearoa/ New Zealand has evolved in association with birds and lizards as the dominant frugivores and seed dispersers. There is a wide range of ripe fruit colours within the native fleshy-fruited plants spanning the visible light spectrum from red to violet, with the notable exception of green. The evolution of fleshy-fruit and fruiting related trait, may be a result of the selection pressures exerted by different frugivore guilds. This study was conducted to ascertain if endemic diurnal lizards, Oligosoma species (Scincidae: Lacertilia), display features associated with visual based foraging, colour sensitivity and colour preferences, which are necessary conditions to infer a co-evolutionary mutualism between fleshy-fruited plant species and lizards as seed dispersers, which may have influenced the evolution of fruit colour.
Many lizards have exceptional colour vision, with the ability to see a wide range of the visual light spectrum from short wave ultra violet to long wave red. They are able to discriminate all aspects of colour: hue, brightness and saturation.
Fruit colour within Coprosma (Rubiaceae), is extremely variable, between and within species. The study of fruit colour preferences within this genus and particularly within species with polymorphic fruit colour provides a valuable comparison of frugivore preference to fruit with little inter and intraspecific variation, therefore minimising potentially confounding factors due to phylogeny.
Fruit-colour choice experiments were conducted offering fruit from two colour categories based on postulated frugivore preferences; red and red orange fruit has been associated with avian frugivores whilst white and pale fruit has been associated with lizard frugivory in New Zealand. Experiments were conducted both ex-situ, in environmentally controlled laboratories and in-situ at Macraes Flat, Otago. Pilot trials indicated that the background colour on which fruit were presented was important in fruit choice and consequentially, all fruit were offered on a background which provided contrast to both fruit colour categories. The laboratory trials showed some weak evidence for a preference of white and pale blue fruit however, in-situ trials showed a strong preference for white over red fruit.
Field studies were conducted to ascertain the composition of fleshy-fruit in the diets of lizards and the results were consistent with those expected for a generalist omnivore; many of the small fruits available to lizards were consumed however, the results indicated that plant abundance does not adequately explain fruit consumption at this field site. A preference index showed that white and pale fruited plants, Melicytus alpinus and Coprosma spp., were preferred over more abundant orange and red fruited plants.
Fruit odour was investigated to determine if fruit choice was mediated primarily by visual cues as opposed to odour cues. Fruit choice trials with the fruit concealed from view indicated that fruit choice was based primarily on visual cues in Oligosoma skinks.
It is concluded that lizards demonstrate the necessary conditions to infer that as frugivores, they may have influenced the evolution of fruit colour and that within the open habitats of Aotearoa/ New Zealand, the shrubs, particularly the divaricate shrubs may have provided sufficient environmental conditions to establish a mutualism between plants and lizards resulting in the evolution of small, white and other low chroma fruits.
12
Freeman, A. B. "An ecological study of the lizard fauna of Kaitorete Spit, Canterbury." Master's thesis, Lincoln University. Bio-Protection and Ecology Division, 1994. http://theses.lincoln.ac.nz/public/adt-NZLIU20080205.115012/.
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Baited pitfall traps were used to sample the lizard fauna at Birdlings Flat on Kaitorete Spit, Canterbury. Four species had been recorded previously from this area; Leiolopisma maccanni Patterson and Daugherty, Leiolopisma nigriplantare polychroma Patterson and Daugherty, Leiolopisma lineoocellatum (Dumeril and Dumeril) and Hoplodactylus maculatus (Gray). Three of these species (L. maccanni, L. n. polychroma and H. maculatus) were captured during the course of the study. The aim of this present study was to examine the nature of the ecological relationship among these three species at Birdlings Flat. Capture data indicated that L. maccanni was almost entirely confined to the dunelands while L. n. polychroma was associated exclusively with shrublands on old dune ridges behind the sand dunes. H. maculatus' distribution encompassed both of these major habitats. Separation on the basis of habitat was thought to be the most important niche variable for these two diurnal skinks. There was some temporal separation in activity of these two species, with L. maccanni active earlier in the day than L. n. polychroma. However, there was a high degree of overlap in the activity periods of these two species. Temporal differentiation between the nocturnal gecko H. maculatus and the two diurnal skinks is thought to be an important means by which these species coexist. The most common prey items consumed by all three species were Diptera, Araneae, C. propinqua seeds, Hemiptera, unidentified arthropod eggs, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. Dietary differences between the two skink species were apparent although these differences appeared to be related to the preferred habitats of the respective species. Density estimates for L. maccanni varied between 1050/ha and 1850/ha while L. n. polychroma density varied between 200/ha and 400/ha. The density of H. maculatus was not calculated but appeared to be intermediate to the density of the two skink species. The apparent disappearance of L. lineoocellatum from an area where they were once relatively common is cause for concern. There is no obvious reason for this decline although it may be related to the combined impacts of predation, collection and habitat disturbance.
13
Huf, Peter A., and mikewood@deakin edu au. "Androgen metabolism in the Australian lizard Tiliqua Rugosa." Deakin University. School of Sciences, 1989. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20051111.134448.
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Nonmammalian vertebrates possess some unusual features in their hormonal systems/ when compared to mammals. As a consequence, they can make an important contribution in investigations concerning the fundamental mechanisms operating in endocrinology. Such studies concerning androgens include inter alia their effects on developmental aspects in the brain of birds and related singing behaviour; the role of neural enzymes in reproductive processes in fish; and the relation between androgens and the stages of spermatogenesis in amphibia, The present thesis examines the biochemistry of androgens in the Australian lizard Tiliqua rugosa. The major compounds studied were testosterone and epitestosterone, which are known to be present in high concentrations in the plasma of the male animal. Previous investigations are expanded, particularly in the areas of steroid identification and testicular biosynthesis. In addition, preliminary studies on the metabolism in the brain (and other tissues) and plasma protein binding are reported.
The presence of epitestosterone as a major free androgen in the plasma of the male lizard was confirmed. Other steroids were found in the sulphate fraction. Testosterone sulphate was the most rigorously identified compound, while some evidence was also found for the presence of conjugated 5-androstene-3β,17-diols, etiocholanolone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA). Epitestosterone does not appear to be extensively conjugated in this animal. Steroids were not found to be conjugated as glucuronides. The identification studies employed a novel method of electrochemical detection of steroids. This technique was investigated and extended in the current thesis.
Biosynthetic studies were carried out on androgen interconversions in the testis, in vitro. The major enzyme activities detected were 17α-arid 17β-oxidoreductases (17α-OR and l7β-OR) and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD)/isonerase. No evidence was found for the presence of a steroid-17-epimerase that would directly interconvert testosterone and epitestosterone. The 17-oxidoreductases were found to be dependent on the cofactor NBDFH. Testosterone appears to be formed mainly via the 4-ene pathway, whereas epitestosterone is formed from both the 4- and 5-ene routes. The compound 5-androstene-3β, 17α-diol
was found to be an intermediate in the synthesis of epitestosterone from DHA. Temperature was found to significantly affect 17α-OR
activity (maximum at 32°C). In contrast,17β-OR activity was independent of this factor in the testis. Androgen metabolism in the testis was found to be regulated by cofactors, temperature and season.
The major enzyme activities found in the male brain were 17α- and 17β-OR. 3βHSD/isomerase was not found; however a low activity of 5α-reductase was identified. Aromatase activity was not positively identified, but preliminary results suggest that it may be present at low levels. The 17-oxidoreductases were widespread throughout the brain. The 17α-OR was significantly lower in the forebrain than other brain sections. The 170-OR activity did not vary significantly throughout the organ, although there was a trend for its activity to be higher in the midbrain region (containing the hypothalamus in these sections). The concentration of endogenous steroids in brain tissue was estimated by radioimmunoassay. Epitestosterone was found throughout the organ structure, whereas testosterone was found mainly in the midbrain (containing hypothalamic regions in these sections). Correlations between enzyme activities and steroid concentrations in brain regions suggested that the main function of 17α-OR is to produce epitestosterone, whereas the 17β-OR may catalyse a more reversible reaction in vivo. Temperature was found to significantly affect both 17α- and 17β-OR activities in the brain. In contrast to the testis, the maximum activity of the brain enzymes occurred at 37°C. The level of 17α-OR activity in the male lizard (100 nmol/g tissue/h) is the highest reported for this enzyme in vertebrates. Both activities were found to be quantitatively similar in the whole brain homogenates of male and female animals, and did not vary seasonally when examined in the male.
The 17-oxidoreductases were also found in most other tissues in T.rugosa, including epididymis, adrenal, kidney and liver (but not blood). This suggests that the high activities of both 17α-OR and 17β-OR are dominant features of the steroid system in this animal. The formation of 11-oxygenated compounds was found in the adrenal, in addition to the formation of polar metabolites in the kidney and liver (possibly polyhydroxylated and conjugated steroids).
A preliminary investigation into the plasma binding of androgens was carried out. The insults suggest that there are several binding sites for testosterone; one with high affinity and low capacity; the other with low affinity and high capacity. Binding experiments were carried out at 32°C. At this temperature, specific binding was greater than at 25 or 37°C. From the results of competition studies it was suggested that epitestosterone (with a K(i)= 3 X 10 (-6)M for testosterone binding) regulates the binding of testosterone (K(i)=10(-7)M) and hence the concentrations of the latter steroid as a free compound in plasma.
In general, the study has shown that the biochemistry of androgens in the reptile T.rugosa is largely similar to that found in other vertebrates. The major difference is a greatly increased activity of 17α-OR, which causes a higher concentration of 17α-compounds to be present in the tissues of this lizard. The physiological roles for epitestosterone are not yet clear. However it appears from this study that this steroid regulates testosterone concentrations in several tissues by either steroidogenic or binding mechanisms. Several major influences on this regulation include temperature, availability of cofactors and seasonal effects.
14
Lettink, Marieke, and n/a. "Adding to nature : can artificial retreats be used to monitor and restore lizard populations?" University of Otago. Department of Zoology, 2008. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20080715.091040.
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Artificial retreats are increasingly used to sample animal populations and in attempts to boost animal numbers in degraded habitats. Here, I test potential applications of artificial retreats for lizards inhabiting a coastal environment of high conservation value (Kaitorete Spit, New Zealand). I first conducted a pitfall-trapping survey examining the distribution and relative abundance of lizards in duneland, farmland and shrubland habitats, and tested the influence of trap placement on capture rates. Capture rates of the diurnal skinks Oligosoma maccanni (McCann�s skink) and O. nigriplantare polychroma (common skink) were highest in duneland and farmland, respectively, and were most sensitive to the distance separating traps from the nearest cover (the greater the distance, the lower the capture rate). Captures of O. lineoocellatum (spotted skink) and Hoplodactylus maculatus (common gecko) were rare.
Secondly, in separate chapters I test the utility of artificial retreats for monitoring: 1) a preference trial examining relative use of three types of artificial retreats by skinks (O. maccanni and O. n. polychroma) and geckos (H. maculatus); 2) a comparison of the effectiveness of artificial retreats relative to pitfall traps for detecting cryptic and primarily nocturnal geckos (H. maculatus) following translocation; and 3) capture-recapture estimation of population parameters (survival and abundance) of H. maculatus. I found that: 1) geckos strongly preferred retreats made of Onduline over corrugated iron and concrete tiles, whereas skinks exhibited no apparent preferences; 2) artificial retreats were more effective than pitfall traps for detecting geckos following translocation; and 3) monthly survival and recapture probabilities of geckos varied with age-class and over time. Estimated survival was unexpectedly low, possibly due to excessive trap spacing. I developed a new capture-recapture model specifically for population size estimation with data from artificial retreats, which gave estimates that were up to 50% greater than those predicted by conventional capture-recapture models. I caution that permanent placement of artificial retreats in long-term studies may be inappropriate for estimation of population parameters due to potential habitat-enhancement effects and/or altered predation risk.
Thirdly, I conducted a capture-recapture field experiment, using a replicated Before-After-Control-impact (BACI) design, to test the relative effects of habitat manipulation (artificial retreat addition) and partial predator removal (by fencing) on annual survival of duneland skink (O. maccanni) populations. Survival increased at sites with predator exclosures, but not at control sites or following the addition of artificial retreats, either alone or in combination with a predator exclosure. The magnitude of the increase in survival for the exclosure-only treatment was small, but sufficient to change the trajectory of an apparently stable population into an increasing one, suggesting that the population is limited by predators. Predator control, but not the addition of artificial retreats, is predicted to benefit O. maccanni.
To conclude, the Onduline design developed here appears to be particularly useful for sampling cryptic, terrestrial geckos; however, artificial retreats must be used appropriately to avoid bias arising from habitat-enhancing effects and/or altered predation risk. The restoration value of artificial retreats requires further testing on other species and in areas where natural retreat sites are limited.
15
Teo, Ee Hiok. ""The morphology of the pineal complex in the scincid lizard, Tiliqua rugosa" /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1997. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09pht314.pdf.
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Freeman, Alastair B. "An ecological study of the lizard fauna of Kaitorete Spit, Canterbury." Lincoln University, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10182/273.
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Baited pitfall traps were used to sample the lizard fauna at Birdlings Flat on Kaitorete Spit, Canterbury. Four species had been recorded previously from this area; Leiolopisma maccanni Patterson and Daugherty, Leiolopisma nigriplantare polychroma Patterson and Daugherty, Leiolopisma lineoocellatum (Dumeril and Dumeril) and Hoplodactylus maculatus (Gray). Three of these species (L. maccanni, L. n. polychroma and H. maculatus) were captured during the course of the study. The aim of this present study was to examine the nature of the ecological relationship among these three species at Birdlings Flat. Capture data indicated that L. maccanni was almost entirely confined to the dunelands while L. n. polychroma was associated exclusively with shrublands on old dune ridges behind the sand dunes. H. maculatus' distribution encompassed both of these major habitats. Separation on the basis of habitat was thought to be the most important niche variable for these two diurnal skinks. There was some temporal separation in activity of these two species, with L. maccanni active earlier in the day than L. n. polychroma. However, there was a high degree of overlap in the activity periods of these two species. Temporal differentiation between the nocturnal gecko H. maculatus and the two diurnal skinks is thought to be an important means by which these species coexist. The most common prey items consumed by all three species were Diptera, Araneae, C. propinqua seeds, Hemiptera, unidentified arthropod eggs, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. Dietary differences between the two skink species were apparent although these differences appeared to be related to the preferred habitats of the respective species. Density estimates for L. maccanni varied between 1050/ha and 1850/ha while L. n. polychroma density varied between 200/ha and 400/ha. The density of H. maculatus was not calculated but appeared to be intermediate to the density of the two skink species. The apparent disappearance of L. lineoocellatum from an area where they were once relatively common is cause for concern. There is no obvious reason for this decline although it may be related to the combined impacts of predation, collection and habitat disturbance.
17
Dixon, Katherine Marguerite, and n/a. "Biodiversity along a gradient of modification : plant invertebrates and reptile diversity in mid-altitude tall tussock (Chionochloa rigida) grasslands, eastern Central Otago, New Zealand." University of Otago. Department of Botany, 2005. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20070130.154858.
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This thesis set out to examine the soils, plants, lichens, invertebrates and common skinks along a gradient of habitat modification. This gradient was represented by ten study sites, of varying management histories, in a mid altitude tall tussock (Chionochloa spp.) grassland in eastern Central Otago. One extreme of the gradient was represented by intact tall tussock plants with a high density of inter tussock vegetation. The other extreme was represented by intensively managed exotic pasture.
Native plants, invertebrates and reptiles were present along the entire gradient of modification and there was a clear threshold in the diversity of native plants along the gradient. This threshold was reached after the management practice of ploughing was applied to a site. Sites that had not been ploughed were found to be similar in their native plant diversity, and all unploughed sites had significantly higher native plant diversity than unploughed sites.
There was considerable variation in the abundance of individual plant and Coleoptera species along the modification gradient. The most intensively modified sites had the lowest plant diversity, the lowest abundance and diversity of Orthoptera, as well as the lowest abundance of common skinks. Sites with low levels of modification contained a higher abundance of common skinks, and, native forbs, lichens and bryophytes than the more intensively modified sites.
With regard to individual plant and Coleoptera species recorded, there were generally not clear thresholds for their presence and absence along the modification gradient. Rather, there was a gradual turnover for most species along the gradient such that the plant and Coleoptera community at opposing ends of the gradient had less species in common sites of similar modification levels.
A high proportion of the Coleoptera species observed were present in all sites, suggesting that disturbance has selected for an adaptive generalist life trait, and that the species remaining comprise the resilient portion of the Coleoptera fauna. The relationship between Coleoptera communities and the gradient of modification was scale dependent, with the strongest relationship being observed at the largest scale measured.
The hypothesis that faunal diversity and abundance would be best predicted by the structural diversity of the vegetation rather than by plant species diversity was tested. Structural diversity was strongly correlated (p < 0.01) with Coleoptera diversity, and Coleoptera abundance whereas plant species diversity was not. However, plant species diversity was a stronger correlate of common skink abundance than plant structural diversity. The structural diversity of the vegetation has the potential to be measured remotely and could be a correlate for faunal diversity and abundance when undertaking landscape scale studies.
This thesis demonstrates that native biota exists within the agricultural environment of the mid-altitude tall tussock (Chionochloa rigida) grasslands of eastern Central Otago despite intensive modification in some areas. The findings suggest that it is possible to integrate the objectives of agriculture and the conservation of some faunal groups especially for the more resilient species. However, this study also indicates that relatively unmodified sites are valuable reservoirs of biodiversity in the mid altitude zone and it is recommended that the limited number of lightly modified sites that remain in the mid altitude zone be conserved.
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Middleton, Danielle Mary Rose Lea. "The prevalence of Salmonella and the spatial distribution of its serovars amongst New Zealand's native lizards : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Zoology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand." Massey University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10179/906.
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This thesis considers the prevalence and spatial distribution of Salmonella serovars amongst wild endemic lizards on offshore islands around the coast of New Zealand. The mean test prevalence of faecal excretion of Salmonella was 4.7%. Skinks (Scincidae) were more likely (8.5%) to be carriers of Salmonella than geckos (1.6%). Each island was host to between one and three Salmonella serovars that were not found on any other islands in this study. Two exceptions were Salmonella Bousso and Salmonella Mana which were found on two islands within the same geographical area. Based on the findings of this study, different islands are likely to be hosts to different Salmonella serovars which could have implications for future translocations of native lizards. I also assessed the prevalence and spatial distribution of faecal excretion of Salmonella, Aeromonas and Hafnia alvei within Mana Island. The prevalence of Salmonella on Mana Island was estimated at 5.8%. Salmonella was found predominantly in skinks (10.0%) and less often in geckos (4.1%). H. alvei was found at a prevalence of 1.9%. No Aeromonas species were cultured from any of the cloacal swabs, suggesting that the 95% confidence interval for the true prevalence is 0-3%. Each site sampled in this study was host to one or more unique serovar of Salmonella not found at any of the other sites. The results of this study indicate that Salmonella serovars may become established within populations of lizards and is not spread between them. This may be due to a lack of dispersal of lizards between sites, raising important considerations for the translocation of native lizards. I investigated the prevalence of faecal excretion of Salmonella, H. alvei and Aeromonas by New Zealand native lizards from two captive populations. The mean prevalence of faecal excretion of Salmonella in the captive lizards sampled was 11.5%. There was a higher prevalence of Salmonella within captive population A (22.0%) than in population B (3.6%). No Aeromonas was cultured from any of the lizards. H. alvei was found at a prevalence of 5.2%. The prevalence of Salmonella and H. alvei was significantly higher in captive lizards than in wild populations. Captive lizards may, therefore, not be appropriate founders for new populations of wild lizards. Finally I assessed the different efficiencies of two media and two temperatures in isolating six Salmonella serovars from a reptilian source. All serovars grew equally well at 37°C and 27°C. For most serovars XLD agar was the more successful media than MacConkey agar but the success of different culture media depended on the serovar being cultured. Because lizards are frequently host to a wide range of Salmonella serovars, screening samples using multiple microbiological methods is likely to give the best chance of isolating all Salmonella serovars present.
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Bellamy, Stephen, and steve bellamy@flinders edu au. "RESOURCE PARTITIONING BETWEEN TWO SYMPATRIC AUSTRALIAN SKINKS, EGERNIA MULTISCUTATA AND EGERNIA WHITII STEPHEN BELLAMY Thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy AUGUST 2006 SCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES FLINDERS UNIVERSITY, ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA ________________________________________." Flinders University. Biological Sciences, 2007. http://catalogue.flinders.edu.au./local/adt/public/adt-SFU20070124.145924.
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When species compete for resources, in a stable homogeneous environment, there are two possible outcomes. The first is that one species will out-compete the other and exclude it from the environment. This is known as the competitive exclusion principle. The second is that both species will manage to coexist. Coexistence can only occur if the species niches are differentiated such that interspecific competition is minimised, or eliminated. This outcome is known as resource partitioning.
Two closely related Australian skink species of the Egernia genus, Egernia multiscutata and Egernia whitii, are abundant and sympatric on Wedge Island in South Australias Spencer Gulf. The species are morphologically very similar and appear to have very similar life histories and habitat requirements. Ostensibly, they would compete for limiting resources in this environment.
This thesis is the first investigation into resource partitioning in this previously unstudied model organism. I report the results of multi-faceted investigations into the coexistence of the skinks, E. multiscutata and E. whitii on Wedge Island and the evidence for, and mechanisms of, any facultative resource partitioning between them.
Study methods involved a transect survey of most of Wedge Island to determine the species distributions and any evidence for resource partitioning; a morphological comparison to investigate any potential competitive advantages of either species; a habitat choice experiment to establish retreat-site preferences in the absence of interspecific interference; and, a series of staged dyadic encounter experiments to investigate interspecific competitive interactions.
Resource partitioning was evidenced by differential distributions of the species among substrates containing the elements required for permanent refuge shelters. This partitioning was not mediated by avoidance of particular substrates but by the presence of the opponent species, combined with attraction to suitable substrates. Asymmetries in some morphological characters were found to confer a potential competitive advantage to E. multiscutata in agonistic encounters with E. whitii. Both species were found to have the same refuge site preferences when interference competition was experimentally removed. This result was not concordant with observed resource partitioning in the field and suggests that the habitat choices of both species are modified by the presence of the opponent species. Analyses of staged dyadic encounter experiments showed that E. multiscutata was more likely to gain greater access to a contested habitat resource and more likely to exclude E. whitii from the resource than vice-versa. Nevertheless, the outcome of competitive interactions was not completely deterministic and there was some tolerance of co-habitation. E. multiscutatas competitive advantage was attributable largely to its greater mass and head dimensions relative to snout to vent length. However, differential behavioural responses to the threat of larger opponent size also played an important part in resource partitioning between the species.
20
Desai, Arjun. "Designing building skins." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/65679.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1992.Includes bibliographical references (p. 55).
This thesis involves framing criteria and discerning issues to be considered in the design of building skins in an urban environment. The 'information age' has paradoxically seen the demise of the facade as an important signifier of cultural meaning. Homogeneous and minimally articulated skins have become silent and passive masks, creating anonymous and unresponsive urban environments. In contrast, the decorated facades of post-modem architecture have failed to address questions of meaning and representation in a serious and satisfactory way. Perhaps the problem is not solely one of economic constraints and misguided construction practices, but a lack of understanding and evaluation of the role of the skin, both as an architectural element, and as a social and cultural phenomenon. This thesis will use the ethnographic theories of Gottfried Semper as a basis for establishing themes that have persisted in the understanding and construction of closure elements since the earliest shelters of man. The issue of transparency and spatial depth will then be addressed as a modem social and architectural dilemma, inseparable from the problem of designing building facades. Thirdly, this thesis will be concerned with skins that have a high degree of operability, allowing them to adapt to a dynamic and ever changing environment. The vehicle for exploring the problem of building skins will be the design of a market building in the Haymarket area of Boston.
by Arjun Desai.
M.Arch.
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Mullin, Joseph A. "Onion skins : a fall collection." Virtual Press, 1992. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/845933.
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The poems in this collection are poems of discovery and explanation. They are the recordings and insights of what it means to be a young male in the North American Midwest in the year 1992. Some are memories of what was or what should have been. Some of the poems are attempts to give meaning to what is, or more importantly, to give meaning to the "who" that is becoming. The majority of the poems deal with opposing tensions, especially between society and the individual, and between knowing and the unknown. In almost all the poems there are two forces pulling at the narrator, and there is an axis between the poles which must remain balanced.The need for balance becomes a central element because of the narrative influence in the poems. They represent a coming of age and contain the myriad viewpoints struggling for recognition at such a time. Some of the poems seem to detail this process; others seem to be results of it. In either case, the poems try to capture the emotive and cognitive quality of a moment.The frequent tension between the conflicting emotive and analytical qualities often results in an ambiguity in the poems. This collection is not so much a finished piece of work as a still continuing process. I hope this questioning attitude is plain in the work and is shared by the reader, for it is a major quality of the poems.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306Department of English
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Kaslik, Ibolya. "Skinny." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/MQ47762.pdf.
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Ainegren, Mats. "Roller skis' rolling resistance and grip characteristics : influences on physiological and performance measures in cross-country skiers." Doctoral thesis, Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för teknik och hållbar utveckling, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-16446.
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The aim of this thesis was to investigate roller ski characteristics; classical and freestyle roller skis’ rolling resistance coefficients (μR) and classical style roller skis’ static friction coefficients (μS), and to study the influence of different μR and μS on cross-country skiers’ performance and both physiological and biomechanical indices. The aim was also to study differences in skiing economy and efficiency between recreational skiers, female and male junior and senior elite cross-country skiers.The experiments showed that during a time period of 30 minutes of rolling on a treadmill (warm-up), μR decreased significantly (p<0.05) to about 60-65 % and 70-75 % of its initial value for freestyle and classical roller skis respectively. Also, there was a significant influence of normal force on μR, while different velocities and inclinations of the treadmill only resulted in small changes in μR.The study of the influence on physiological variables of a ~50 % change in μR showed that during submaximal steady rate exercise, external power, oxygen uptake, heart rate and blood lactate were significantly changed, while there were non-significant or only small changes to cycle rate, cycle length and ratings of perceived exertion. Incremental maximal tests showed that time to exhaustion was significantly changed and this occurred without a change in maximal power, maximal oxygen uptake, maximal heart rate and blood lactate, and that the influence on ratings of perceived exertion was non-significant or small.The study of classical style roller skis μS showed values that were five to eight times more than the values of μS reported from on-snow skiing with grip-waxed cross-country skis.The subsequent physiological and biomechanical experiments with different μS showed a significantly lower skiing economy (~14 % higher v̇O2), higher heart rate, lower propulsive forces coming from the legs and shorter time to exhaustion (~30 %) when using a different type of roller ski with a μS similar to on-snow skiing, while there was no difference between tests when using different pairs of roller skis with a (similar) higher μS.The part of the thesis which focused on skiing economy and efficiency as a function of skill, age and gender, showed that the elite cross-country skiers had better skiing economy and higher gross efficiency (5-18 %) compared with the recreational skiers, and the senior elite had better economy and higher efficiency (4-5 %) than their junior counterparts, while no differences could be found between the genders.Syftet med denna avhandling var att undersöka fristils- och klassiska rullskidors rullmotståndskoefficienter (μR) och klassiska rullskidors statiska friktionskoefficienter (μS) samt effekter av olika μR och μS på längdskidåkares prestation vid rullskidåkning på rullande band. Syftet var även att undersöka s.k. åkekonomi och mekanisk verkningsgrad mellan motionärer och kvinnliga och manliga junior- och seniorlängdskidåkare på elitnivå.Experimenten visade att under en period av 30 minuters kontinuerligt rullande, på rullande band, så sjönk μR signifikant (p<0.05) till 60-65 % och 70-75 % av initiala värden, för fristils- respektive klassiska rullskidor. Undersökandet av olika normalkrafter, hastigheter och lutningars påverkan på μR resulterade i en signifikant, negativ korrelation för μR som funktion av normalkraft, medan olika hastigheter och lutningar endast medförde små förändringar av μR.Studien som undersökte fysiologiska effekter av olika μR visade, vid submaximala konstanta arbetsbelastningar, att yttre effekt, syreupptagning, hjärtfrekvens och blodlaktat förändrades signifikant vid ~50 % förändring av μR. Försökspersonernas frekvens och sträcka per frekvens samt skattning av upplevd ansträngning resulterade dock i mestadels icke signifikanta eller små förändringar. Protokollen med successivt ökande arbetsbelastning (maxtest) resulterade i signifikant förändrad tid till utmattning, vid ~50 % förändring av μR. Detta inträffade utan signifikant skillnad i maximal syreupptagning, hjärtfrekvens och blodlaktat, vilket även mestadels gällde för skattning av upplevd ansträngning.Experimenten som undersökte klassiska rullskidors μS visade att dessa erhöll värden som är fem till åtta gånger högre än vad som rapporterats från studier av μS på snö med fästvallade skidor.Den efterföljande studien som undersökte fysiologiska och biomekaniska influenser av olika μS visade, vid submaximala konstanta arbetsbelastningar, att åkekonomin försämrades (~14 % högre syreförbrukning), hjärtfrekvensen ökade, den framåtdrivande kraften från benen på rullskidorna minskade samt att det blev kortare tid till utmattning (~30 %), vid maxtest, när skidåkarna använde rullskidor med en μS i likhet med vad som rapporterats för skidåkning på snö. För arbetsförsöken med olika rullskidor av olika fabrikat med en högre, och likartad, μS förelåg ingen skillnad i de undersökta variablerna.Studien som undersökte åkekonomi och mekanisk verkningsgrad som funktion av prestationsnivå, ålder och kön, visade att elitskidåkarna hade bättre åkekonomi och verkningsgrad (5-18 %) i jämförelse med motionärerna, att seniorerna hade bättre åkekonomi och verkningsgrad (4-5 %) än juniorerna och att ingen skillnad kunde konstateras mellan könen.
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Johnson, Heather M. "Almond skins as a natural antioxidant." Connect to this title online, 2007. http://etd.lib.clemson.edu/documents/1193079453/.
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Kapelonis, Chrisoula. "Receptive Skins : towards a somatosensitive architecture." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/119086.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2018.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 116-118).
In architecture, the building skin is the primary interface for mediating the environment of the external with the internal. But today, this mediation is mechanical, deterministic, and static-often seeing the human as a generalizable and problematic input. With advances in material science however, there is great potential to disrupt these traditional manufactured environments of architecture and turn them into responsive mediated environments. What this thesis aims to explore is this idea of the receptive skin-a sensate and dynamic multimaterial interface for environmental mediation. This suggests that by departing from the view that buildings are static artifacts, we may instead begin to see buildings as organic, living entities. Through the development of a working prototype, this thesis explores how such an interface may manifest itself, through dynamic material composites, instead of mechanical and electronic means. The final prototype is a "proof of concept," a built example of this novel design methodology, which unites material performance with sensate technologies, as a way to enable new interactions between building and environment.
by Chrisoula Kapelonis.
S.M.
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Шалімова, Т. І. "Presentation Skills." Thesis, Українська академія банківської справи Національного банку України, 2008. http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/62001.
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Методичні рекомендації розроблені відповідно до навчальної програми викладання іноземної
мови з курсу «Англійська мова за професійним спрямуванням» і призначені для індивідуальної
та самостійної роботи студентів спеціальності «Фінанси».
Видання спрямоване на поглиблення знань студентів економічної лексики англійською мовою,
розвиток навичок презентацій та вміння застосовувати отримані знання на практиці.
Призначені для студентів 2 курсу спеціальності “Фінанси” денної форми навчання.This work is for improving presentation skills through individual and self-studing by finance students.
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Less, Adam A. "Teamwork skills." Online version, 1998. http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/thesis/1998/1998lessa.pdf.
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Shelton, Susan Allsop. "Sentence-Level Construction Methods: Skills Taught Are Skills Used." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2017. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/6505.
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The findings of this study predict that students who utilize five specific sentence constructions on timed single-draft writing compositions will have higher holistic scores than students who do not utilize the specific constructions. Students in the treatment group who were taught to use the five constructions through thorough and consistent instruction in a semester length first year writing course showed statistically significant gains, 4.698 points on a 0-18 scale, based on comparison of pre-test and post-test writing samples. The findings suggest that specific style instruction at the sentence level should be part of the first year writing course curriculum, and possibly in the writing curriculum of secondary education as well.
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Kienzl, Nico 1971. "Advanced building skins : translucent thermal storage elements." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/67522.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1999.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-131).
Advances in the material sciences continue to provide designers with a wealth of new materials that challenge preconceived notions of the building envelope and its performance. These new technologies can be used to create new adaptable building skins and allow for an active interaction with the environment to reduce energy consumption in buildings. This thesis investigates the function of the building enclosure in relation to these new material developments and recent changes in the treatment of the building envelope. New glazing, insulation and thermal storage technologies are discussed in the context of their technical trajectories. Based on th is discussion of functions and technologies, a specific set of materials is selected and their combination into a facade panel is proposed. Th is new element is a layered facade component including electrochromic glazing, aerogel and a phase change material. The combination is analyzed for its potential as a translucent thermal storage wall in the context of American residential construction. Aspects of performance, integration and design are explored through calculations, experimental testing and the creation of scaled models and a prototype element. For this purpose an environmental test chamber has been built on MIT's campus to evaluate the performance of new facade elements. The result of this study shows the potential for such innovative facade concepts and points towards areas of future research to make such concepts technically and economically feasible. In particular, the need for better tools to evaluate the performance of such advanced skins is identified in order to achieve successful implementation of these new technologies and ideas.
by Nico Kienzl.
S.M.
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Akhavan, S., C. Uran, B. Bozok, K. Gungor, Y. Kelestemur, V. Lesnyak, N. Gaponik, A. Eychmüller, and H. V. Demir. "Flexible and fragmentable tandem photosensitive nanocrystal skins." Royal Society of Chemistry, 2016. https://tud.qucosa.de/id/qucosa%3A36332.
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We proposed and demonstrated the first account of large-area, semi-transparent, tandem photosensitive nanocrystal skins (PNSs) constructed on flexible substrates operating on the principle of photogenerated potential buildup, which avoid the need for applying an external bias and circumvent the currentmatching limitation between junctions. We successfully fabricated and operated the tandem PNSs composed of single monolayers of colloidal water-soluble CdTe and CdHgTe nanocrystals (NCs) in adjacent junctions on a Kapton polymer tape. Owing to the usage of a single NC layer in each junction, noise generation was significantly reduced while keeping the resulting PNS films considerably transparent. In each junction, photogenerated excitons are dissociated at the interface of the semi-transparent Al electrode and the NC layer, with holes migrating to the contact electrode and electrons trapped in the NCs. As a result, the tandem PNSs lead to an open-circuit photovoltage buildup equal to the sum of those of the two single junctions, exhibiting a total voltage buildup of 128.4 mV at an excitation intensity of 75.8 μW cm⁻² at 350 nm. Furthermore, we showed that these flexible PNSs could be bent over 3.5 mm radius of curvature and cut out in arbitrary shapes without damaging the operation of individual parts and without introducing any significant loss in the total sensitivity. These findings indicate that the NC skins are promising as building blocks to make low-cost, flexible, large-area UV/visible sensing platforms with highly efficient full-spectrum conversion.
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Knoop, Lars Espen. "Towards soft laterotactile displays and smart skins." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2016. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.702215.
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Humans are extremely adept at interacting with the world through touch and eliciting meaningful information through touch. Current handheld and wearable electronic devices provide very limited tactile feedback to the user. The ultimate tactile device should be able to stimulate the full range of mechanoreceptors in the skin, to elicit any sensation. Our skin is soft and compliant, so wearable devices should be soft, conform to and move with the user. Smart materials could hold the key to development of low-cost high-resolution soft tactile devices. This thesis is working towards a vision of entirely soft and compliant tactile devices using smart materials. Laterotactile stimulation, where tactile elements move parallel to the skin surface to create regions of stretching and compression in the skin, would seem perfectly suited for such applications. Although there are examples of laterotactile stimulation in the literature, this area is largely unexplored. We present a psychophysical study comparing the tactile sensitivity to normal and lateral stimuli. We present and characterise a compliant laterotactile display prototype for stimulation of the glabrous skin, using Dielectric Elastomer Actuators. This technology will readily scale up to large arrays and large devices and scale down to micro-stimulators. Real-world tactile interaction often conveys inherent meaning and affect. Taking inspiration from recent work in neuroscience, we have developed the Tickler; a soft laterotactile display that strokes the wrist. The Tickler creates natural-feeling sensations, and highlights opportunities for soft technologies in haptics. We show that the perceived sensation of affective haptic devices can be modulated by the context in which it is presented, and the nature of the modulation is stimulus dependent. This has significant implications for the evaluation of affective haptic devices. We consider how follicular structures in Nature can be mimicked in robotic skin and haptic devices, and present a first example of a follicular skin device for two-way gesture-based tactile communication. These developments provide the important foundations for new devices that mark a paradigm shift in our physical interactions with technology and the virtual world.
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Maze, Randy. "Skills for scouters." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2001. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/MQ62029.pdf.
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Merriman, Carolyn. "Vital Sign Skills." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2013. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/8535.
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Borshchov, V. "Basic management skills." Thesis, Sumy State University, 2017. http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/66275.
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Speaking about basic management skills it is very important to mention that all they are applied all over the world. In general overview they might be divided in planning, organizing, directing, coordinating and reporting. All skills to be used in professional field need respect, understanding and involvement.
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Borshchov, V. "Basic management skills." Thesis, Sumy State University, 2017. http://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/65311.
Full textAbstract:
Speaking about basic management skills it is very important to mention that all they are applied all over the world. In general overview they might be divided in planning, organizing, directing, coordinating and reporting. All skills to be used in professional field need respect, understanding and involvement.
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Moser, Michele R., and Eys P. van. "Relaxation Skills Training." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2008. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/4975.
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Haynes, Marie Ellen. "Urban college graduates their investments in and returns for strong quantitative skills, social capital skills, and soft skills /." Cleveland, Ohio : Cleveland State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1274706759.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Cleveland State University, 2010.Abstract. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on June 3, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 162-178). Available online via the OhioLINK ETD Center and also available in print.
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Kennedy, Ivan Anthony. "Irish medium education : cognitive skills, linguistic skills, and attitudes towards Irish." Thesis, Bangor University, 2012. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/irish-medium-education--cognitive-skills-linguistic-skills-and-attitudes-towards-irish(14b335c5-7232-4435-8755-68e5138e66b7).html.
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The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of Irish medium education (immersion) on children's first language (L1; English) skills in the educational setting and on their executive functioning (EF) skills. A battery of tests was used to compare 8 Year- Old and 12 Year-Old children's performance on a range of tasks testing their L1 vocabulary, reading, writing, creative, and descriptive (academic) skills and their attention, inhibition, and task switching (EF) skills. Data were collected in two school types (immersion and English medium) in two areas in the Republic of Ireland and one school type (English medium) in one area in Northern Ireland to represent a monolingual sample. As such, this provided a comparison of three school types and, in particular, the effects of learning a second language (L2) to varying degrees of ability-either total immersion (successive bilingualism) or L2 learning for approximately 3.5 hours per week-upon children's L1 and EF skills. Overall, results revealed that immersion education in Irish had no detrimental effects on children's L1 (English) or EF skills. Indeed, results suggest that whereas immersion may have helped to enhance children's attention to and control of their L1, successive bilingualism itself had limited influence on EF skills, although there were some evidence of heightened performance in tasks of attention, inhibition, and task switching. These findings, in addition to the majority of research into bilingualism in the worldwide setting, could be used to inform parents and policy makers that Irish medium education has no negative effects upon children's L1 skills in the educational setting or their EF skills of attention, control, and inhibition.
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Williams, Ann-Marie Claudia. "Soft Skills Perceived by Students and Employers as Relevant Employability Skills." ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/1427.
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Local employers believe the lack of prerequisite soft skills is inhibiting the graduates from a local community college from securing employment. The rationale of this phenomenological study was to investigate the perceptions of students and employers related to the soft skills needed to be successful in future employment. The theoretical framework was based on Mezirow's transformational and Daloz's mentorship theories. Individual face-to-face, semistructured interviews were used to gather data from 12 business and computer students and 7 employers (N=19) who were selected using purposeful random sampling. The typewritten transcripts of participants' responses were imported in MAXQDA 11, then were open coded and analyzed for emergent themes. According to emergent findings among these 19 participants, for entry-level jobs, communication was the most important and the most lacking soft skill. The recommendations informed the creation of a mandatory 3-day professional development training program, which was developed to help students enhance their soft skills before entering their future careers. This study directly affects positive social change by enhancing the quality of soft skills for future employees who enter the local work force.
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Laurenz, Jon. "Living skins : an attribute framework for green façades." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/31804.
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The thesis critiques the current practice of green facades in terms of a broader range of opportunities they might realize. It analyses the current practice of green facades as to the different types, construction systems, and relationship with the immediate context. It also identifies a series opportunities related to six areas: human comfort; expressive capacity; air & water quality; indoor outdoor relationship; urban biodiversity; and carbon neutral architecture. This thesis develops a green facades framework that enables the critique and evaluation of the different existing types of green facades in terms of the extent to which they accomplish such opportunities, facilitating a determination of their appropriateness to different conditions, solar orientations, and user needs. This same framework also intends to improve the current practice of green facades by assisting designers to define a particular green facades.Applied Science, Faculty of
Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of
Graduate
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Hovsepian, Sarah. "Digital material skins : for reversible reusable pressure vessels." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/72807.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-51).
Spacecraft missions have traditionally sacrificed fully functional hardware and entire vehicles to achieve mission objectives. Propellant tanks are typically jettisoned at different stages in a spacecraft mission and left to burn in the atmosphere after one use, creating a substantial amount of waste and redundancy which leads to high operational costs. Spaceflight programs cannot continue to rely on current methods of discarding hardware, since the cost to transport materials from Earth is extremely high. Significant improvements need to be made in recovery and reuse of valuable hardware, to be able to lower costs per mission and increase the number of missions. Strategies need to focus on avoiding complete loss of hardware. This thesis proposes a new class of materials called digital material skins, that will revolutionize the fabrication and assembly of everyday functional objects to spacecraft structural applications, by embedding the intelligence not in the fabrication tools but in the materials themselves, to create reusable and recyclable materials. A workflow for digital material skins is also demonstrated, based on existing fabrication tools to rethink the entire lifecycle of functional skins from design to fabrication to disassembly. When a child builds a structure out of Legos, precision lies not in the human assembler but in the material, component geometry, and linking mechanism to dictate how and where each material interlocks within the larger material system. A digital material skin is made of discrete units with a finite set of parts and joints used to construct a functional structural skin for airtight,waterproof, high or low pressure applications.The surface is enclosed or the surface is open. Digital material skins are used to construct any shape or interior volume that is regular or amorphous. A digital material skin is an exterior structure which relies on an interior digital material structure for support, or a digital material skin is self-supported with few or no interior support. Parts and links are arranged and configured in a regular pattern to create a surface larger than the units themselves. The skin is part of a larger assembly or part of a single unitary structure of any size or shape. The skin may have a thickness that is smaller or larger than any dimension. The skin is made of one or more layers of one material or multi-material units. The joints are reversible, allowing transfer of forces from one unit to adjacent units to create a continuous bulk material. The work will develop a prototype of a digital material skin concept for pressure vessel skins, and adumbrate a new design methodology that considers the entire lifecycle of digital material skins.
by Sarah Hovsepian.
S.M.
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Kinsey, C. E. C. "Skins\screens\circuits : how technology remade the body." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2012. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1354502/.
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This thesis is an analysis of the social, political and historical inter-relationships between moving image technologies, constructions of gender and sexuality, and theories of science and technology. Presented as a series of case-studies on film, video, medical imaging and computer technology in the work of five women artists, this thesis looks at the way in which artistic practice overturns traditional theories of technology as purely ‘instrumental’, theories of the subject in which identity is tied to the body, and the assumption that women do not access technology in a sophisticated way. It considers the various ways in which women artists have engaged with, and subverted, the explicit body in representation through deploying new moving image technologies at the historical moment of their widespread distribution across domestic, artistic, pornographic and medical spheres. It ends by asking what is the political potential in challenging the anthropomorphic and destabilizing the figurative through abstraction? Beginning with an investigation into the way in which Carolee Schneemann uses the material properties of film to establish a haptic encounter, in which female and feline bodies are caught up in a sexual economy of touch (pet/petting), this thesis then looks at the work of Kate Craig and the mutual expansion of pornography and home-video technology, questioning the emergence of the ‘amateur’ in relation to theories of power and gender; offers a technological and philosophical modeling of medical imaging technology (taking endoscopy in the work of Mona Hatoum as a case study); and re-evaluates the use of binary in information systems beyond a limiting analogy with ‘Western binaries’ through the work of Nell Tenhaaf. Using the languages of art history together with science & technology studies, medical discourse and feminism, this research theorises gender, technology and medicine as systems of representation that are all deeply inter-connected.
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Brady, Dean. "A possible mechanism for enzymic depilation of skins." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001611.
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Streptomyces fradiae is a bacterium which has been previously found to produce extracellular enzymes which are capable of wool degradation and skin depilation. Streptomyces fradiae 3739 and other strains of Streptomyces were found in this study to be able to degrade a keratin source (wool) to a considerable degree. However according to the evidence of SEM micrographs presented here the highly keratinised spindle cells of the paracortex are fairly resistant to protease attack, and it is the cementation material which binds these cells together which is initially degraded by the proteases. A large degree of correlation was found with the strains of Streptomyces studied, between the ability of the individual strains to degrade wool and the ability of their extracellular proteases to reduce the depilation load of sheepskins. With further analysis S. fradiae 3739 was found to produce at least one amylase and four or more proteases. The proteases as a group had maximal proteolytic activity in the 8.0-9.0 pH unit range, and were considerably thermostabilised by the inclusion of calcium ions into the reaction solution. The protease group was found to cause depilation of merino sheepskins. For comparative purposes a protease produced by a strain of Proteus vulgaris isolated from a staling hide with hair slip (natural depilation) was studied. The protease activity was maximal in the alkaline region between 8.0-9.0 pH units. Tbe protease appeared to be a single enzyme with a molecular mass of approximately 44 000 daltons. The protease was maximally active at 40°C, although it was only thermostable to 30°C. The enzyme was ineffectual as a depilant except when the skin was pre-treated with a strong alkali, preferably including sodium sulphite in the protease preparation. One of the most important differences between the extracellular proteases of S. fradiae and P. vulgaris was that the former were greater in variety and caused a greater decrease in the depilation load of sheepskins than the latter. Further research with mixtures of commercial proteases provided evidence that a synergistic depilatory effect occurs when proteases of complementary bond specificities are used in conjunction in enzymic depilatory preparations. Some form of strong alkali treatment of skins was found to be necessary to produce leather of the prerequisite quality when the skin was depilated by proteases, otherwise the skin was found to be depleted and stiff. Calcium hydroxide alone was found to be inadequate for this task, probably owing to the fact that it is less alkaline than the lime-sulphide mixture. The calcium hydroxide (lime) must therefore be used in conjunction with sodium hydroxide (which makes the solution as alkaline as that of the lime-sulphide solution) to produce leather comparable to that produced by the lime sulphide treatment. A combination of the information provided by the present research and that gleaned from the relevent literature allows for the construction of a model to represent the possible mechanism of enzymic depilation of skins, in which depilation is caused by the disruption of the basement membrane at the dermal-epidermal junction by the degradation of its constituent molecular components by general proteases, resulting in the removal of the epidermis and its associated wool or hair
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McGregor, Carol Anne. "Art of the Skins: un-silencing and remembering." Thesis, Griffith University, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/388148.
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A major focus of my visual art practice has been to contribute to the un-silencing of family and Australian Indigenous community histories and heritage. Un-silencing is my term to describe the personal and political acts needed to undo colonial structures and thinking. As a part of this undoing or decolonising, I have sought to share knowledges and to pass on information and skills through reinvigorating the art of Indigenous possum skin cloak-making in South-East Queensland.
Little research or writing about Australian Aboriginal possum skin cloak-making exists, which is partly because of the hiatus in the actual making of cloaks as garments of use and for ceremony due to the forced interruption of cultural practices by early dominating colonialists. There are now only fourteen known historical animal skin cloaks or fragments of cloaks in existence. I have closely examined two of these cloaks: one is held in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC, and the other in the Miles Historical Museum in Miles, Queensland. In order to continue the cultural practice of possum skin cloak-making in South-East Queensland, I facilitated (with fellow artist Glennys Briggs) a series of over fifty Indigenous community-based possum skin cloak-making workshops between 2014 and 2016.
The outcome was the making of six community-owned possum skin cloaks that were displayed over six months in the exhibition Art of the Skins, State Library of Queensland, in 2016. Little-known historical references to the possum skin cloaks in this region were woven into the workshops to bring them to common knowledge and to emphasise the significance and importance of the continuum of this traditional cultural practice in South-East Queensland. The workshops informed my own practice-led research and making. The art on the skins documents biocultural knowledge of plants and place, drawn from guidance received from Elders and community members. Through this research, I hope to contribute to understanding particular aspects of the continuum of Australian Aboriginal cultural object making.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Visual Arts (DVA)
Queensland College of Art
Arts, Education and Law
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Aguiar, Italo Cavalcante. "Attitudes, skills, knowledge and awareness: the intercultural skills development during the exchange." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2016. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=16961.
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CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel SuperiorO presente trabalho teve como objetivo identificar as competÃncias interculturais desenvolvidas por estudantes estrangeiros que realizaram intercÃmbio na Universidade Federal do Cearà no perÃodo entre 2008 e 2015. Johnson et al (2006) realizaram uma ampla revisÃo bibliogrÃfica sobre competÃncia intercultural, a partir da qual notaram que a literatura dedicada à gestÃo multicultural ainda tem dedicado pouca atenÃÃo à definiÃÃo do conceito de competÃncia intercultural. Para Fantini (2007), competÃncia intercultural à definida como um grupo de capacidades necessÃrias para realizar, de maneira eficaz e adequada, a interaÃÃo com outras pessoas que sÃo linguisticamente e culturalmente diferente entre si. O modelo de AvaliaÃÃo da CompetÃncia Intercultural (ACI) de Fantini (2007) foi utilizado para identificar e mensurar essas competÃncias interculturais. A pesquisa adotou o mÃtodo quantitativo de natureza descritiva. Foram aplicados, no total, 207 questionÃrios com estudantes alemÃes, portugueses, espanhÃis e franceses que realizaram intercÃmbio na Universidade Federal do Cearà entre os anos de 2008 e 2015. Para o tratamento dos dados, utilizou-se a estatÃstica descritiva, o mÃtodo de rotaÃÃo Varimax, a tÃcnica do alfa de Cronbach e o teste nÃo paramÃtrico de Kruskal-Wallis. Os resultados da pesquisa evidenciaram que houve aumento em cada um dos componentes do modelo de ACI (Conhecimento, Atitudes, Habilidades e ConscientizaÃÃo) de Fantini (2007), durante o intercÃmbio nos estudantes das quatro nacionalidades pesquisadas. Os estudantes portugueses apresentaram um maior Ãndice de competÃncia intercultural no inÃcio e no final do intercÃmbio, enquanto que os estudantes alemÃes obtiveram um menor Ãndice de competÃncia intercultural, no comeÃo do intercÃmbio, e os estudantes espanhÃis apresentaram um menor Ãndice de competÃncia intercultural ao tÃrmino do intercÃmbio. Entretanto, foram os estudantes alemÃes que apresentaram um maior crescimento nesse Ãndice de competÃncia intercultural, do inÃcio ao final do intercÃmbio, seguidos pelos estudantes franceses e espanhÃis, respectivamente. Por outro lado, os estudantes portugueses mostraram um menor crescimento no Ãndice de competÃncia intercultural.
This study aimed to identify intercultural competencies developed by foreign students who participated in an exchange program at the Federal University of Cearà in the period between 2008 and 2015. Johnson et al (2006) conducted an extensive literature review on intercultural competence, from which noted that the literature dedicated to multicultural management devoted little attention to defining the concept of intercultural competence. For Fantini (2007), intercultural competence is defined as a group of skills needed to perform effectively and properly, the interaction with other people who are linguistically and culturally different from each other .The evaluation model of Intercultural Competence (AIC) by Fantini (2007) was used to identify and measure these intercultural skills. The research adopted a quantitative method of descriptive nature. It was applied in total 207 questionnaires with german, portuguese, spanish and french students who participated in an exchange program at the Federal University of Cearà between 2008 and 2015. For the treatment of the data, it was used descriptive statistics, the rotation method Varimax, the Cronbach alpha technique and the nonparametric test Kruskal-Wallis. The survey results showed that there was an increase in each of the components of the AIC Model (Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills and Awareness) by Fantini (2007), during the exchange students in the four surveyed nationalities. Portuguese students had a greater intercultural competence index at the beginning and end of the exchange, while the German students had the lowest intercultural competence index at the beginning of the exchange, and the Spanish students had a lower intercultural competence index at the end of exchange. However, it was the German students who had a higher growth in this intercultural competence index, from beginning to end of the exchange, followed by the French and Spanish students, respectively. On the other hand, the Portuguese students showed lower growth in intercultural competence index.
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Sauls, Gideon George. "The National Skills Fund and green skills: towards a generative mechanism approach." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63740.
Full textAbstract:
The aim of the study was to investigate the role of the South African National Skills Fund (NSF) in responding to green skills training for the sake of better integration and optimal effectiveness in relation to the green economy in South Africa. The NSF is a multi-billion rand fund for skills development, with the responsibility to respond effectively to the country’s skills development needs. Part of the NSF’s mandate is to ensure the development of green skills in South Africa, with special reference to the allocation of grants, as a key mechanism in ensuring adherence to properly governed skills development funding requirements. This study considers the identification of green skills funding as a skills planning and implementation challenge within the post-school education and training context, the NSF, the green economy and related skills debates, both locally and globally. The study contributes to a growing body of research in South Africa that seeks a wider systemic perspective on green skills concerns. The NSF and its functioning is a critical dimension of the wider skills system and is a significant system element influencing further emergence of a coherent national system for green skills development. Providing further rationale for this study is the 2011 finding of the International Labour Organisation, that the green skills development system in South Africa is re-active and poorly systematised, a finding that was also noted in the first ever Environmental Sector Skills Plan for South Africa undertaken by the Department of Environmental Affairs in 2010. As the study is mainly focused on one aspect of the policy system, namely the NSF’s role in green skills funding, the bulk of the data used in this study is documentary. Research information was obtained from NSF documentary sources to describe the NSF organisationally. Information was also obtained from green skills documentary sources to obtain a better understanding of the nature and purpose of the development of green skills in South Africa. The study has also drawn on references related to grant management as a mechanism for seeding meaningful transformations and skills development research in South Africa to understand the skills development landscape, with special reference to the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) post-school education and training system. Documentary data was supplemented by selected key respondent interviews from the skills sector and from the green skills research community to provide further perspective on the research focus. Critical realism (CR) is utilised as a meta-theoretical framework that seeks to inform the overall academic reflection and interpretation process. The work of Danermark, Ekström, Jakobsen and Karlsson (2002), which describes the process of data analysis in critical realism, was adapted into a four-phased research approach for this particular policy study, which I framed as a Quadrilateral Policy Analysis Framework (QPAF). This provided a data analysis framework which allowed for taking account of the mechanisms shaping the NSF as an important systemic funding agency within South Africa’s emerging post-school education and training context, as this relates to green skills. However, to further analyse this research question and context, I needed to work with substantive policy theory. Given the nature of the policy object that I was investigating, I found Feiock’s (2013) Institutional Collective Action Framework to be a helpful substantive policy theory as it has adequate nuance with which I could describe the NSF’s core function, namely that of grant-making for the post-schooling policy context. Based on the critical realist meta-theoretical framework and the substantive policy theoretical frameworks, I developed four phases of analysis, namely a) descriptive analysis which is divided into Part A (describing the green skills landscape and its funding demands ) and Part B (describing the NSF as it relates to green skills); b) component analysis which further analyses key components of the above; c) abductive policy analysis which identifies critical mechanisms and how they operate; and d) generative mechanism analysis which identifies the underlying generative mechanisms shaping the NSF’s engagement with green skills (or lack thereof). The following main findings are identified: • It emerged that the responsiveness of the NSF to green skills is emergent, essential and yet multifaceted due to competing stakeholder interests, expectations and claims; • Key strategic relations with critical role players within South Africa’s skills levy funding matrix emerged as a fundamental requirement towards the achievement of the NSF’s organisational mandate to respond effectively to national green skills needs and expectations; • Contracting is the central mechanism driving the NSF grant-making process. Related to this is the finding that partnerships emerged as the most versatile and underutilised mechanism that cuts across all four of the NSF grant-making phases; • The NSF’s current method of making sense of funding policy indications as per national policy documents is too reductionist because the method betrays an alignment-mirroring form of sense-making awareness that uncritically endorses substratum philosophical assumptions like Human Capital Theory (HCT) and associated neoclassical economic theories embedded in the policy frameworks. These assumptions contradict and potentially limit engagement with wider theories and policy frameworks for guiding skills development that are oriented towards the wider common good as argued by non-anthropocentric orientations in critical realism and the green skills sector. In summary, an argument is put forward that the NSF is a key funding mechanism towards green skills delivery in South Africa, but that this funding mechanism is under-utilised and inadequately mobilised for transitioning towards sustainability in South Africa. The study recommends that, in pursuit of better integration and optimal effectiveness thereof and in line with the fund’s legislative, organisational and public mandate, a consensual negotiation skills planning mechanism be considered from an institutional collective action response platform. In terms of recommendations for further research, it is proposed that a comparative analysis study could be considered between the NSF and other leading global funding agencies or other national skills funding mechanisms that are also concerned with the inclusion of green skills development. Comparative studies of this nature could potentially enhance the fund’s policy-making process and assist in the development of more appropriate institutional arrangements towards optimal funding responsiveness. Lastly, in the light of the NSF’s current contribution to green skills in the country, an impact evaluation study on the return on green skills investment presents an additional intriguing research endeavour which would contribute further perspective on the arguments presented in this study.
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Tucker, Marilyse. "Teaching Water Safety Skills to Children with Autism Using Behavioral Skills Training." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2016. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc955103/.
Full textAbstract:
Behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training (IST) have been evaluated as methods to teach different safety skills to individuals with developmental disabilities. Research on BST has examined topics such as gun safety, abduction prevention, poison avoidance, and sexual abuse prevention. A large safety issue that is missing from the literature is drowning prevention and water safety skills. Drowning is one of the most prevalent issues facing facing children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), particularly those who elope from their homes or caregivers. The current study aimed the effectiveness of using BST+IST to teach three water safety skills to three children with ASD. The intial form of intervention was BST with total task presentation of the skill, using verbal instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. If this intervention did not result in an increase in performance, the skill was broken down into individual component presentation, in which each component of the skill was taught using the same procedures. Results from the current study showed that BST+IST was effective in teaching all skills to all participants.
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Mikula, Brendon David. "The Essential Skills Framework: Developing expert-like fluency with simple procedural skills." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1429536663.
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Oconnell, Alison Ann. "Using Instructions and Behavioral Skills Training to Teach Facebook Skills to Seniors." Scholar Commons, 2016. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6339.
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The senior population is growing faster than any other population group, and life expectancy is increasing. E-mail and social media enable people of all ages to stay in touch, and find information, resources, and entertainment. Positive effects are associated with computer and internet use for older adults, but not all seniors have embraced technology and some seniors feel negatively about it. Several different methods have been used to teach seniors computer skills, including mentoring, lecturing, and providing instructions, but not many procedures have been evaluated for effectiveness. In the current study, we recruited three to five seniors, taught them to use Facebook using instructions and behavioral skills training as needed, and then tested their skills. This study investigated the effectiveness of instructions alone with supplemental behavioral skills training as necessary to improve community-dwelling seniors’ social media skills on Facebook.
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Duchini, Emma. "Essays on skills formation." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/396276.
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This thesis examines the role of public policies and institutions in fostering human capital formation
and utilization. In the first chapter, I analyze the impact of college remedial courses
on students’ performance and college completion, using administrative data from the department
of Economics of an Italian university. My results suggest that the complex design of
the policy studied hinders its effectiveness, as it fails both to boost students’ results and to
reduce college drop-out. In the second chapter, a joint work with Clémentine Van Effenterre,
we study mothers’ labor supply response to a reorganization of children’s school schedule, promoted
in France since 2013. We show that mothers react to this intervention by restructuring
their working time in accordance to children’s new schedule. Finally, in the last chapter, I
investigate whether loosening employment protection legislation decreases firms and workers’
investments in training. Exploiting a reform introduced in the United Kingdom in 2012, I find
that reducing job protection in a period of negative wage growth does not lead to an increase
of dismissals or a decline in training investments.Esta tesis examina el papel que las políticas y las instituciones públicas pueden jugar para favorecer la formación y el uso del capital humano. En el primer capítulo, estudio el impacto de los cursos de recuperación ofrecidos en la universidad sobre los resultados de los alumnos y su probabilidad de acabar los estudios universitarios, utilizando datos administrativos de un departamento de Economía de una universidad italiana. Mis resultados sugieren que la complejidad de esta política estorba su eficacia, dado que no consigue mejorar ni el desempeño de los estudiantes ni disminuir su probabilidad de abandonar la universidad. En el segundo capítulo, un trabajo conjunto con Clémentine Van Effenterre, analizamos el impacto de una reorganización del horario escolar de los niños, introducida en Francia a partir de 2013, sobre las decisiones de trabajo de las madres. Mostramos que las mujeres restructuran su semana de trabajo en función del nuevo horario de sus hijos. Finalmente, en el último capítulo, investigo el efecto de una disminución de la protección laboral sobre las decisiones de empresas y trabajadores de invertir en formación. Explotando una reforma introducida en Reino Unido en 2012, encuentro que reducir la protección laboral, en un periodo de crecimiento negativo de los salarios, no implica ni un aumento de despidos ni una disminución de inversiones en capital humano.