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Clemensen, Andrea K. "Understanding Plant Secondary Metabolites; Above and Below Ground." DigitalCommons@USU, 2018. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7090.
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Plants naturally produce primary and secondary metabolites. Primary metabolites are directly involved with plant growth and metabolic function. Plant secondary metabolites (PSM) were once thought of as metabolic waste products, and more recently viewed as toxins to herbivores. However, ongoing research shows that PSM are beneficial to herbivores at low doses, and PSM aid plants by attracting pollinators, recovering from injury, protecting from ultraviolet radiation, increasing drought tolerance, and aid in defense against pathogens, diseases, and herbivores. Plant secondary metabolites also influence soil nutrient cycling, and can increase the sustainability of agroecosystems. Endophyte-infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) , which contains ergovaline, and reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.), containing gramine, were studied along with the legumes alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) which contains saponins, and tannin-containing sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.). This dissertation researches (i) how planting configuration (monocultures vs. two-way mixtures) influences PSM and total N in plants, (ii) how cattle grazing forages containing PSM affects soil quality, nutrient cycling, and PSM, and (iii) how cattle manure from different diets, containing different PSM, influences soil nutrient cycling.
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Cherkauer, Keith Aric. "Understanding the hydrologic effects of frozen soil /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/10164.
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Karstens, Christopher Daniel. "Improved understanding of near-ground winds in hurricanes and tornadoes." [Ames, Iowa : Iowa State University], 2009. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:1473223.
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Horton, Brian W. "Predicting common ground sequences from prosody, timing, friendship, and experience." The Ohio State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1174658582.
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Worthan, Shannon R. "Assessing the Impact of Information Channels on the Understanding of Ground Truth." Thesis, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/7433.
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It is important to understand the impact that the proliferation of information displays has on the warfighters ability to reason about, or make sense of, battlefield information. This research investigates how information sources at a tactical operations center (TOC) workstation affected a battle captains ability to understand and portray ground truth in a simulated battlefield scenario. Twelve active-duty officers with previous battle-captain experience were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Each group was exposed once to each source condition (two or six sources) and tactical scenario. A replicated prenetwork centric warfare (NCW) TOC workstation and modern digitally networked workstation were used for comparison. During each 40- minute battlefield scenario, participants provided situational reports (SITREPs), placed friendly and enemy unit symbols on the battlefield map, and provided perceived mental workload. The results of this research indicate that there is no difference for situational understanding between the modern battle captain workstation (six sources) and the legacy workstation (two sources), when the amount of information from the sources remains the same. Contrary to expectations, perceived mental workload using the two-source workstation is significantly higher than the six-source workstation. Results of this research could have implications for the design of future information system and networked workstations in TOCs.
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Liebal, Kristin. "Infants' and young children's understanding of common ground and markedness in communication." Leipzig Leipziger Univ.-Verl, 2009. http://d-nb.info/998767654/04.
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Beetham, Paul. "Enhancing the understanding of lime stabilisation processes." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2015. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/19583.
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Lime stabilisation is a ground improvement technique used to improve the engineering properties of cohesive fill materials. During earthworks operations, specialist plant is used to rotovate the clay fill material and intermix lime binder around clay clods. After completion of the lime treatment, the layer is compacted in the usual way. Immediately after mixing, the lime instigate a series of physico-chemical reactions within the clay soil. Where the chemical reactions are favourable and with time after compaction (curing) the material becomes progressively stronger and durable to environmental influences, e.g. inundation by surface or ground water. However, where sulphate is present within the soil, the reactions may change and the ingress of water into the layer can result in the expansive growth of deleterious minerals e.g. ettringite. While sulphate swell issues are relatively rare, when they do occur the degree of expansion can be very high. A high profile sulphate swell failure developed during the construction of the M40, Oxford, UK in 1989. Over the winter period after the lime stabilisation works, a 250mm deep lime treated layer heaved by up to 150mm - destroying the overlying road construction. Since the M40 failure, a substantial amount of effort has been undertaken to better understand the sulphate swell reactions and in this regard the state of scientific knowledge is relatively strong. A fundamental issue for field applications of lime stabilisation is that the vast majority of research has been undertaken on laboratory specimens prepared using methods which do not reflect site practice. Laboratory studies often use oven dried and finely crushed clay, whereas site operations will treat much larger clay clods to result in a more heterogeneous distribution of lime through the compacted soil body. With large clay clods, the chemical reactants must migrate through clods and this may cause the sequence of chemical reactions to change. A further challenge is that laboratory studies are typically undertaken with cure temperatures of 20°C, whereas a typical near surface temperature in the UK is <10°C. This is of particular relevance to sulphate swell failures which are reported to coincide with a reduction in ambient temperature over winter periods. Thus, the direct relevance of laboratory studies to site application was unclear. A series of laboratory experiments using a preparation method which reflects field applications of lime stabilisation was used to investigate the influence of large clay clods on the durability of lime stabilised clay soil. This method was applied to both low and high sulphate clay soils. A fundamental discovery from work on low sulphate clay is that the addition of lime binder to the surface of the clay clods causes a physico-chemical boundary to form. This boundary develops due to the rapid increase to the plastic limit of the clay preventing adjacent clods from joining together during compaction. This causes the engineering properties of each individual clod to develop independent to its neighbours and for each clay clod to be separated by an inter-clod pore space. The strength of each individual clay clod will increase with curing as the added lime dissociates into Ca2+ and OH- and migrates to form C-S-H deep within the clods. Where the material is compacted wet of the optimum water content, this condition improves ion migration and enables development of diffuse cementation deep within clods. The inter-clod porosity remains as a weakness throughout curing especially during specimen soaking, where the pore channels comprise a pathway, accelerating the ingress of soaking water. With low sulphate soil, the soaking water softens the treated material, however, with high TPS soil substantial sulphate swelling may develop. Thus, efforts to minimise this porosity during preparation is important and the use of quicklime with longer mellowing periods can cause the clay clods to develop high strength before compaction. The high strength clods resist compaction and the degree of inter-clod porosity in the compacted mass increases, worsening specimen durability to water ingress. The investigations into high sulphate clays included the development of a Novel Swell Test (NST) to assess volume change. A unique aspect of the NST was that the sulphate swell response of the lime treated material was investigated at site realistic temperatures of 8°C. It was identified that, when compared with standard laboratory test temperatures of 20°C the rate of sulphate swell is substantially higher at the low temperature. The mineralogical testing has permitted the hypothesis that, at 8°C the growth of crystalline ettringite becomes slower and the ettringite precursor, which has a high affinity to imbibe water, remains in this state for much longer. Thus, laboratory swell tests at 20°C may substantially underestimate the degree of swell that may develop in the field. As a pressing need, it is recommended that the industry adapt sulphate swell test methods to appraise the degree of swell at field realistic temperatures i.e. < 10°C. The work also identifies that the primary defence against sulphate swell is to condition the fill so that the risk of post compaction water ingress, via inter-clod porosity, is minimised. The use of GGBS and water addition during extended mellowing periods also reduces the degree of sulphate swell in natural clay soils. This work concludes that working methods for lime stabilisation of medium high plasticity soils of a potentially high sulphate content, should be adapted to encourage diffuse cementation and minimise the degree of (post compaction) inter-clod porosity. Practically this involves the use of hydrated lime and the addition of mixing water throughout extended mellowing periods. Fundamentally, the study recommends that where construction programmes allow, the long term durability of a fill material should be the priority over immediate strength.
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Jones, Simon D. "Understanding large area tropical forest phenology using remotely sensed and ground data sources." Thesis, University of Leicester, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/30405.
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Remotely sensed (spectral) phenological data has often been used to characterise and investigate tropical forest ecosystems. The basic assumptions, linking real (biological) and remotely sensed (spectral) phenology, have however rarely been scrutinised and little empirical information from synchronous datasets exists.;This research selected three tropical vegetation communities; each characterised by a different climate, biological phenology and each hypothesised to exhibit a differing spectral phenology. An extensive verification campaign was then initiated to collect phenological data from all three of these sites for an entire phenological cycle. The verification dataset comprised; forest structural parameters, meteorological measurements, litterfall weights, phenological observations (of leaf flushing, senescence and abscission), quantifications of canopy openness and LAI (using hemispherical photography and Ceptometry) and overpass-synchronous radiometry readings.;Large area (1 km2), remotely sensed spectral data was then acquired, for all sites, from the NOAA-14 AVHRR and ERS-2 ATSR-2 satellite sensor systems. An evaluation of the biological significance of the spectral phenological data as then undertaken using two basic methodologies. First, the ground verification data were compared to several commonly used spectral vegetation indices. Next, textural changes, in the spectral landscape, attributed to each verification site were assessed. At two of the monitored sites, spectral phenology was shown to have a strong physiological basis at the scale of the vegetation community. This was attributed to, the pronounced seasonality in the climate at these locations, and, the relative structural simplicity of the vegetation formations. At the third site (a structurally more complex, seasonally-inundated tropical forest) the association between biological and spectral phenology was less conclusive. Clearly further work is required before the scientific community can be certain that all temporal trends, derived from 1km spatial resolution image data, are providing accurate insights into the biological processes, of humid tropical forests, but in general the association between spectral and biological phenology is a strong one.
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Christie, Gordon A. "Collaborative Unmanned Air and Ground Vehicle Perception for Scene Understanding, Planning and GPS-denied Localization." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/83807.
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Autonomous robot missions in unknown environments are challenging. In many cases, the systems involved are unable to use a priori information about the scene (e.g. road maps). This is especially true in disaster response scenarios, where existing maps are now out of date. Areas without GPS are another concern, especially when the involved systems are tasked with navigating a path planned by a remote base station. Scene understanding via robots' perception data (e.g. images) can greatly assist in overcoming these challenges. This dissertation makes three contributions that help overcome these challenges, where there is a focus on the application of autonomously searching for radiation sources with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) in unknown and unstructured environments. The three main contributions of this dissertation are: (1) An approach to overcome the challenges associated with simultaneously trying to understand 2D and 3D information about the environment. (2) Algorithms and experiments involving scene understanding for real-world autonomous search tasks. The experiments involve a UAV and a UGV searching for potentially hazardous sources of radiation is an unknown environment. (3) An approach to the registration of a UGV in areas without GPS using 2D image data and 3D data, where localization is performed in an overhead map generated from imagery captured in the air.Ph. D.
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Slettebak, John Andrew. "Professional practice and the middle ground : an understanding of order in participatory housing interventions." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77688.
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Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1987.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-62).
This paper argues that the professional involved with participatory housing interventions needs a new way to practice. The improvement of housing demands a constructive dialogue in a working context that defies rigid ways of solving problems. Meaningful contribution hinges on the professionals abilities to communicate in this unpredictable environment. The clear explanation of ideas and a willingness to develop them with others, requires a new understanding on which to base professional actions. The argument is built on two issues. A discussion of different ways to get things done explores the issue of order. Procedures and methods order decisions when goals are fixed and interests are easily managed. If these control s are not possible, an approach offers flexibility not found in more regular ways of ordering. The context that requires an approach is the second issue. This is the middle ground, where decisions are ordered by the participation of those involved. Change is assembled piecemeal, as participants meet, discuss and make informed decisions. Order and context are developed in the argument that follows. Housing is presented as a complex subject that avoids simple definition. It changes naturally over time; a characteristic that reflects the needs of users, but has proven a nemesis for those intervening. A brief history of intervention evaluates the housing order that has resulted. It is concluded that natural change requires those affected to also take part in making decisions. This participation means the sharing of control, a condition outside of the present norm. For housing interventions to be participatory, a new context must be recognised - the middle ground. The last section speculates on professional practice on the middle ground. In addition to traditional expertise, the professional must learn to support change. Interactions with a variety of participants require new skills that explain ideas legibly, and then facilitate their development with others. It is proposed that this new understanding is needed in participatory housing interventions.
by John Andrew Slettebak.
M.Arch.
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Gidén, Hember Amanda. "Understanding Green Energy Technology : Learning Processes in the Development of the Ground Source Heat Pump." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Byggteknik och byggd miljö, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-414021.
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The aim of this thesis is to increase the understanding of small-scale green energy technology development. In the transition towards a fossil free energy system, heat pumps are a low emission heating alternative. Contrary to other types of new small-scale green energy technology such as solar cells and electric vehicles, heat pumps are established on the Swedish market, with more than half the share of single family buildings. This makes it possible to study an example of a mature technology, and that knowledge could be used in the development and deployment of other technologies with similar small-scale green characteristics. The type of heat pump technology studied is ground source heat pumps, and their development is explored from an economic and performance perspective, using the concept of learning. Learning tracks how a product develops for each doubling of units produced. The results show that the efficiency has increased by a learning rate of 2.8 %. When the effects of a low-temperature heating system is included, the learning rate is even higher, 5.8 %. The efficiency improvement is mainly due to new and more expensive components, which has resulted in a price increase. Even if the price slightly decreased until 2008, it has increased with 29 % since. Nevertheless, the ground source heat pump is profitable compared to several other heating technologies. The most important factors underpinning the development are regulations, competition among manufacturers and research.
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Colby, Thomas D. "Understanding defeat how air and ground formations should work together to defeat enemy fielded forces /." CLICK HERE TO VIEW:, 2004. https://research.maxwell.af.mil/papers/ay2004/ari/Colby.pdf.
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Galambos, Istvan. "Improved understanding of performance of local controls linking the above and below ground components of urban flood flows." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10036/4063.
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This work is devoted to investigation of the flow interaction between above and below ground drainage systems through gullies. Nowadays frequent flood events reinforce the need for using accurate models to simulate flooding and help urban drainage engineers. A source of uncertainty in these models is the lack of understanding of the complex interactions between the above and below ground drainage systems. The work is divided into two distinct parts. The first one focuses on the development of the solution method. The method is based on the unstructured, two- and three-dimensional finite volume method using the Volume of Fluid (VOF) surface capturing technique. A novel method used to link the 3D and 2D domains is developed in order to reduce the simulation time. The second part concentrates on the validation and implementation of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model. The simulation results have been compared against 1:1 scale experimental tests. The agreement between the predictions and the experimental data is found to be satisfactory. The CFD simulation of the different flow configurations for a gully provides a detailed insight into the dynamics of the flow. The computational results provide all the flow details which are inaccessible by present experimental techniques and they are used to prove theoretical assumptions which are important for flood modelling and gully design.
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Oaks, D'Arcy John. "The effect of coordination and common ground in online discussion a comparison of interactive processes in chat vs electronic bulletin boards /." Columbus, Ohio : Ohio State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=osu1174490042.
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Büch, Florian. "Seismic response of Little Red Hill - towards an understanding of topographic effects on ground motion and rock slope failure." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Geological Sciences, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1251.
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A field experiment was conducted at near Lake Coleridge in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, focusing on the kinematic response of bedrock-dominated mountain edifices to seismic shaking. The role of topographic amplification of seismic waves causing degradation and possible failure of rock masses was examined. To study site effects of topography on seismic ground motion in a field situation, a small, elongated, and bedrock-dominated mountain ridge (Little Red Hill) was chosen and equipped with a seismic array. In total seven EARSS instruments (Mark L-4-3D seismometers) were installed on the crest, the flank and the base of the 210 m high, 500 m wide, and 800 m long mountain edifice from February to July 2006. Seismic records of local and regional earthquakes, as well as seismic signals generated by an explosive source nearby, were recorded and are used to provide information on the modes of vibration as well as amplification and deamplification effects on different parts of the edifice. The ground motion records were analyzed using three different methods:comparisons of peak ground accelerations (PGA), power spectral density analysis (PSD), and standard spectral ratio analysis (SSR). Time and frequency domain analyses show that site amplification is concentrated along the elongated crest of the edifice where amplifications of up to 1100 % were measured relative to the motion at the flat base. Theoretical calculations and frequency analyses of field data indicate a maximum response along the ridge crest of Little Red Hill for frequencies of about 5 Hz, which correlate to wavelengths approximately equal to the half-width or height of the edifice (~240 m). The consequence of amplification effects on the stability and degradation of rock masses can be seen: areas showing high amplification effects overlap with the spatial distribution of seismogenic block fields at Little Red Hill. Additionally, a laboratory-scale (1:1,000) physical model was constructed to investigate the effect of topographic amplification of ground motion across a mountain edifice by simulating the situation of the Little Red Hill field experiment in a smallscale laboratory environment. The laboratory results show the maximum response of the model correlates to the fundamental mode of vibration of Little Red Hill at approximately 2.2 Hz. It is concluded that topography, geometry and distance to the seismic source, play a key role causing amplification effects of seismic ground motion and degradation of rock mass across bedrock-dominated mountain edifices.
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Dytynyshyn, David. "Heaven to Earth : an empirical, phenomenological, and theological contribution to understanding Canadian fighter pilot air-to-ground combat experiences." Doctoral thesis, Université Laval, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11794/40338.
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Entre le 30 octobre 2014 et le 15 février 2016, des pilotes de chasse des avions CF-18 ont procédé à 251 frappes aériennes contre des cibles en Irak et en Syrie pour soutenir la campagne aérienne de la coalition internationale, Opération IMPACT. Vulnérables à une combinaison de facteurs de stress uniques associés aux combats air-sol, les pilotes de chasse ont également été exposés à des accusations portées contre eux par les médias canadiens qui remettaient en question leur intégrité morale à cause de violences commises contre des victimes civiles. Aucune recherche à ce jour n'a été menée spécifiquement sur les expériences de combat des pilotes de chasse et les conséquences de ces expériences sur leur bien-être. Située au carrefour des sciences humaines et de la théologie, notre enquête a été guidée par la question de recherche suivante : Quelles réflexions sur les expériences de combat air-sol des pilotes de chasse canadiens aideraient les intervenants militaires à prendre des décisions qui contribueraient au bien-être des pilotes alors que ceux-ci se préparent au combat et participent à de futures campagnes aériennes ? L’approche de recherche. Le chercheur, un aumônier militaire, a interviewé six pilotes de chasse des avions CF-18 stationnés à la base des Forces canadiennes de Bagotville qui ont participé à l'opération IMPACT. Six entretiens avec ces pilotes sont devenus le corpus des pilotes. En utilisant une approche qui relève de la phénoménologie et se situe dans la tradition de la recherche qualitative, le sens attribué par les pilotes à leur expérience de combat a été analysé d’abord au moyen d’une lecture empathique, puis au moyen d’une lecture critique du corpus des entrevues. À partir de cette analyse, le stress et le diptyque honneur / honte ont été identifiés, respectivement, comme les phénomènes clés pour l'interprétation des expériences vécues de ces pilotes. Puisque le stress et l'honneur / la honte sont des expériences communes à toute l'humanité, la compréhension de ces phénomènes s'est enrichie grâce à l'analyse d'un corpus littéraire théologique appartenant au passé. Le corpus des évangiles, composé des quatre évangiles du canon du Nouveau Testament, fournit un récit illustrant la vie et la vision du monde de Jésus-Christ et d'autres personnages bibliques. Des exemples de phénomènes de stress et d'honneur/ honte ont été identifiés dans le corpus des évangiles et interprétés selon une approche textuelle, sociologique et basée sur l’expérience. Par la suite, deux épisodes spécifiques de l’évangile de Luc, Luc 7. 36 à 50 et Luc 15. 11 à 32, ont été analysés plus en profondeur. Conclusions. À partir de l'analyse du corpus pilote et du corpus théologique, nous avons tenté d’établir un dialogue interprétatif entre les sciences humaines et la tradition chrétienne. Suite à cette discussion, notre compréhension de l’expérience des phénomènes de l’honneur et de la honte par des personnages bibliques a été enrichie. De plus, nous avons pu formuler des recommandations en vue de la création de politiques et de pratiques qui pourraient améliorer le bien-être des pilotes de chasse alors qu’ils se préparent au combat et participent à de futures campagnes aériennes.Between 30 October 2014 and 15 February 2016, CF-18 fighter pilots conducted 251 air strikes over Iraq and Syria in support of the coalition air campaign Operation IMPACT. Vulnerable to a combination of unique stressors associated with air-to-ground combat, fighterpilots were also exposed to Canadian media accusations of moral violations resulting from civilian casualties. No research to date has been conducted specifically on combat experiences and the well-being of active fighter pilots. Situated at the crossroads of human sciences and theology, this inquiry is guided by the following research question: What theological insights into Canadian fighter pilot air-to-ground combat experiences would help military stakeholders make decisions contributing to pilot well-being as pilots prepare for and participate in future air campaigns? Research Approach. The researcher, a military chaplain, interviewed six CF-18 fighter pilots stationed at Canadian Forces Base Bagotville who supported Operation IMPACT. Six transcribed pilot interviews became the pilot corpus analyzed for this inquiry. Using a multi-method approach within the phenomenological genre of the qualitative research tradition, the meaning pilots attributed to their combat experience was analyzed first, by an empathic reading, then by a critical reading of the pilot corpus. From this analysis, stress and the diptych honour/shame were identified, respectively, as the key phenomena to interpreting pilot combat experiences. Since stress and honour/shame are universal to all humanity, an understanding of these phenomena was enriched through an analysis of a theological corpus of literature from the past. The gospel corpus, comprised of the four gospel accounts within the canon of the New Testament, provided an account of the life-world of Jesus Christ and other biblical characters. Examples of the phenomena of stress and honour/shame were identified in the gospel corpus and interpreted using a textual, sociological, and experiential orientation. Two specific episodes, Luke 7:36-50 and Luke 15:11-32, were then analyzed in more depth. Conclusions. From the analysis of the pilot corpus and the analysis of the gospel corpus, an interpretive dialogue between the human sciences and the Christian tradition was undertaken. As a result of this discussion, our understanding of honour/shame experienced by biblical characters is enriched. In addition, recommendations are offered to assist in the formulation of policies and practices that will improve the well-being of our CF-18 fighter pilots as they prepare for and participate in future air campaigns.
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Schomerus, Volker [Verfasser]. "Context-Supported Lane Estimation : Understanding the Scene by Learning Spatial Relations Between Semantic Features and Virtual Ground Truth / Volker Schomerus." Aachen : Shaker, 2016. http://d-nb.info/1122545401/34.
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Oliver, Jeff. "A view from the ground : understanding the 'place' of the Fraser Valley in the changing contexts of a colonial world." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.427251.
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Metcalfe, Daniel Benjamin. "Understanding the effects of drought upon carbon allocation and cycling in an Amazonian rain forest." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/6574.
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The Amazon rain forest plays an important role in regional and global biogeochemical cycling, but the region may undergo an increase in the frequency and severity of drought conditions driven by global climate change, regional deforestation and fire. The effects of this drought on carbon cycling in the Amazon, particularly below-ground, are potentially large but remain poorly understood. This thesis examines the impacts of seasonal and longer-term drought upon ecosystem carbon allocation and cycling at an Amazon rain forest site with a particular focus upon below-ground processes. Measurements are made at three one-hectare forest plots with contrasting soil type and vegetation structure, to observe responses across a range of Amazon primary forest types. A fourth plot is subjected to partial rainfall exclusion to permit measurement of forest responses to a wider range of soil moisture levels than currently exists naturally. An analysis of the number of samples required to accurately quantify important ecosystem carbon stocks and fluxes is used to guide the sampling strategy at the field site. Quantifying root dynamics, in particular, presents methodological challenges. Thus, I critically review existing methods, and develop techniques to accurately measure root standing biomass and production. Subsequently, these techniques are used to record root responses, in terms of standing biomass, production, morphology, turnover and nutrient content, to variation in soil moisture across the four rain forest plots. There is substantial environmental variation in root characteristics. However, several responses remain consistent across plots: root production of biomass, length, and surface area, is lower where soil is dry, while root length and surface area per unit mass show the opposite pattern. The other major component of the below-ground carbon cycle is soil carbon dioxide efflux. I partition this efflux, on each plot, into contributions from organic ground surface litter, roots and soil organic matter, and investigate abiotic and biotic causes for observed differences within and between plots. On average, the percentage contribution of soil organic matter respiration to total soil carbon dioxide efflux declines during the dry season, while root respiration contribution displays the opposite trend. However, spatial patterns in soil respiration are not directly attributable to variation in either soil moisture or temperature. Instead, ground surface organic litter mass and root mass account for 44 % of observed spatial heterogeneity in soil carbon dioxide efflux. Finally, information on below-ground carbon cycling is combined with aboveround data, of canopy dynamics and stem wood production and mortality, to analyze the potential effects of drought upon carbon cycling in an Amazon forest ecosystem. Comparison of the rainfall exclusion plot with a similar, but unmodified, control plot reveals potentially important differences in tree carbon allocation, mortality, reproduction, soil respiration and root dynamics. The apparent net consequence of these changes is that, under drier conditions, the amount of CO2 moving out of the forest and into the atmosphere is diminished. This synthesis of above-ground and below-ground data advances understanding of carbon cycling in rain forests, and provides information which should allow more accurate modelling of the response of the Amazon region to future drought. Additional measurements at other sites, and of other ecosystem carbon fluxes, should further refine modelling predictions.
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Sanchez, Merino Leopoldo Antonio. "Receiver, bearer, and giver of God's Spirit Jesus' life and mission in the Spirit as a ground for understanding christology, Trinity, and proclamation /." Online full text .pdf document, available to Fuller patrons only, 2003. http://www.tren.com.
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Pfister, Lena [Verfasser], and Christoph K. [Akademischer Betreuer] Thomas. "Improving our Understanding of the Atmospheric Weak-wind Boundary Layer using Spatially Explicit Observations near the Ground Surface / Lena Pfister ; Betreuer: Christoph K. Thomas." Bayreuth : Universität Bayreuth, 2020. http://d-nb.info/1238143474/34.
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Hesford, Nicholas James. "An above and below ground approach to understanding the impacts of the cultivation and management of short rotation coppice willow on biodiversity and ecosystem processes." Thesis, Queen's University Belfast, 2016. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.707229.
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Concerns over anthropogenic climate change coupled with reduced availability and rising prices of domestic fossil fuels have led a drive towards a low carbon economy and have seen increasing interest from Governments in the development of renewable energy technologies. In 2009, a Government strategy proposed by the Renewable Energies Directive, outlined that by 2020, 15% of the UK’s total energy consumption should come from renewable resources. Part of the initiative in meeting this target, and in helping mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, includes the increased production of energy crops, such as Short Rotation Coppice (SRC) willow (Salix spp.). Although SRC willow cultivation could contribute towards the renewable energies target set for 2020, its growth on a large-scale would result in significant changes to the agricultural landscape. Through employing both an above and below ground approach this thesis demonstrates how the cultivation and management of SRC willow can impact upon locally occurring ecological communities. The conversion of traditional pastoral farming systems to SRC willow is shown to be beneficial for avian communities from a biodiversity perspective, although the thesis highlights the potential for this novel crop to act as an ecological trap for locally breeding species. Furthermore, the results of this research illustrate how changing the management of the SRC willow crops, to facilitate the bioremediation of municipal wastewaters, affect the composition of invertebrate communities that have not previously been studied in this system, and can lead to changes to an essential ecosystem process, decomposition. Together, these findings provide a novel insight into the agro-ecology of commercial SRC willow cultivation.
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Sahrom, Sofyan. "Beyond jump height: Understanding the kinematics and kinetics of the countermovement jump from vertical ground reaction force data through the use of higher-order time derivatives." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2019. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2235.
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The countermovement jump (CMJ) is a complex, multi-joint movement that has been well studied in human research, largely through analysis of the ground reaction force-time signal obtained during jumping. Such analysis has required the definition and then the calculation of several critical kinematic and kinetic variables (including peak force, peak eccentric [braking] force, peak power, rate of propulsive force development, modified reactive strength index) which are used to describe jump performance as well as the jumper’s overall neuromuscular function. The accurate calculation of these variables first requires precise identification of critical kinematic and kinetic ‘events’ (e.g. start of jump, end of downward [braking] phase, jump take-off point, etc.), although the accuracy of event identification has not been thoroughly investigated to date, and incorrect event definitions have been commonly used.
The main purpose of the current research is to assess the viability of using the yank-time signal, derived from the vertical ground reaction force-time signal, to (i) provide improved detection accuracy of important kinematic and kinetic events using information contained with the ground reaction force-time signal, which have not been perfectly identifiable using existing methods (especially for individuals who exhibit specific ground reaction force profiles; e.g. a bimodal propulsive phase force-time relation) as well as to (ii) determine the association between these events and muscle activation and kinematic temporal profiles during the CMJ, and (iii) examine the effect of the use of new definitions/calculations on the magnitude on important kinematic and kinetic variables. This would allow practitioners to better understand the different movement patterns employed by individuals during CMJs and make appropriate inferences for the detection of technique faults, guidance of exercise programming, etc. The information will also be of interest to animal locomotion biomechanists aiming to infer kinematic and muscle activation events directly from easily-obtained force platform recordings without the need for motion analysis or electromyographic analyses.
Deriving the yank-time signal from the vertical ground reaction force-time signal is achieved through differentiation, which can significantly reduce the signal-to-noise ratio and possibly prevent meaningful inference. To ensure the most optimal yank-time signal is derived, three different methods of deriving the yank-time signal were compared in Study 1, and it was established that a combination of 4th-order Butterworth filter and 2nd-order central differentiation yields a suitable yank-time signal for the purpose of identification of centre of mass displacement events during countermovement jumping in humans.
In Study 2 the ground reaction force-time signal obtained during maximal CMJ were described in relation to the kinematic and kinetic (including muscular/internal force) events that underpin it through the use of yank and jerk calculations (the time-derivatives of force (kinetics) and acceleration (kinematics)). Events that have not previously been identifiable directly from the force-time record, including the initiation of knee joint flexion (which occurs ~75 ± 88 ms prior to a significant (detectable) decrease in the ground reaction force) and the first movement of the body’s centre of mass (which occurs ~81 ± 78 ms after a decrease in the ground reaction force) were found to be easily and accurately identifiable. The muscle activation and kinematic temporal profiles of individuals with different ground reaction force-time profiles (e.g. unimodal or bimodal propulsive force records) were explored to better understand the factors underpinning the different movement patterns employed by individuals during CMJ. This study represents the main work done within the thesis project.
With the viability of the yank-time signal established, the present research then investigated the implications of these new event definitions on the calculation of commonly-calculated CMJ performance variables, including the rate of force development (RFD) and modified reactive strength index (RSImod). For the latter, its suitability as an analogue for the reactive strength index (RSI) measured during drop jumping was simultaneously explored. Both RFD and RSImod were found to be undercalculated by 160% and 22%, respectively. More importantly, the difference in RFD led to significant differences in the rank order of individuals within the whole cohort (n = 32) by up to 30 places (i.e. 93.8%, decrease in rank). which in turn would critically affect the conclusions drawn of an individual‘s physical function. Thus, accurate identification of specific events during jumping using yank-time data leads to different estimates of variables such as RFD and RSImod, which may have implications for human performance testing in the applied sport setting.
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Schomerus, Volker [Verfasser], and Dr Ing Wahl Friedrich M. [Akademischer Betreuer] Prof. "Context-Supported Lane Estimation - Understanding the Scene by Learning Spatial Relations Between Semantic Features and Virtual Ground Truth / Volker Schomerus ; Betreuer: Friedrich M. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wahl." Braunschweig : Technische Universität Braunschweig, 2016. http://d-nb.info/1175818127/34.
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Hood, Adam. "The ground and nature of religious belief in the work of John Macmurray, John Baillie and John Oman, with special reference to their understanding of the relation between ordinary experience and religious belief." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1999. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:6c8498b2-15ee-4e52-a6ec-bee25e1480d7.
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The study expounds the views of Macmurray, Baillie and Oman on religious belief in the context of their other epistemological, anthropological and theological convictions. It is shown that each of the writers argues that religious belief is a response to a feature of everyday experience (human alienation, moral intuition and the sense of the holy respectively), that each of them takes the view that religious belief functions in order to achieve a valued end (community, willing obedience to divinely ordained duties and the on-going development of moral personality) which is regarded as both the will of God and essential to human flourishing, and that they also hold that religious beliefs may be confirmed in relation to the valued end which they aim to promote. I argue that whilst each is not without their lacunas and inadequacies, the three writers provide insights which may be useful in understanding religious belief in a Christian context. I maintain, for instance, that Macmurray's argument that religion is a derivative response to a critical dimension of ordinary experience is an illuminating perspective. Again, it is argued that there are resources in Baillie's work to help in the articulation of the view that Christian belief is a response to an a priori encounter with the divine presence in experience. Again, Oman's emphasis on the role of feeling in the disclosure of the divine is plausible, and his analysis of the nature of religious belief is particularly rich in illuminating insights. An important argument that runs through the thesis is that it is plausible to think that there are preconceptual experiences that are cognitively important. In this sense, the study aims to help underpin an experiential approach in the face of those critics who deny the conceptual possibility of such primal experiences.
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Wallace, Rick L., Nakia J. Woodward, and Rachel R. Walden. "Understanding User Needs Through Focus Groups." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2016. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/8704.
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Sibiya, Sydney Langelihle. "Ethical aspects of traditional male circumcision among certain ethnic groups in South Africa : the grounds for change and societal intervention." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/86647.
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Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Traditional male circumcision (TMC) is non-therapeutic ritual removal of the penile foreskin of a male person undertaken as part of a rite of passage from childhood into adulthood and manhood. The practice of TMC has received increased attention in recent years as a result primarily of complications that have led to hospitalization, penile amputations, and death of initiates. This study is a literature review and philosophical-ethical reflection with the following objectives: • To explain the current problems that beset TMC in South Africa • To explore the socio-cultural context in which TMC takes place in South Africa • To engage in ethical deliberation on the harms and benefits of TMC and determine whether, in its current form, the practice constitutes a net harm or benefit • To establish the ethical basis on which society ought to intervene in TMC, and to explore the modes of intervention proposed. Kepe (2010:729-730) identifies three concurrent crises that beset TMC in South Africa- the crisis of disease, injuries, and death suffered by some initiates, the crisis of the tension between the government and traditional leaders with regards to government intervention in TMC, and the crisis of the uncontrolled and negative way in which societal changes have impacted on the practice of traditional male circumcision. Male circumcision is the most widely accepted cultural practice among the Xhosa-speaking people of South Africa, and it is considered to be the only manner in which a boy can attain manhood and adulthood (Vincent, 2008). In view of the ongoing, unambiguous and preventable harm associated with TMC as it is currently practised, I think that it ought not to be allowed to continue in its current format. But I also think that the defect in TMC is remediable. I therefore feel sufficiently warranted to advocate for intervention to make the practice safer for all concerned. Intervention in TMC may be justified on public health, socio-cultural, autonomy, and beneficence grounds.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tradisionele manlike besnyding (TMB) is die nie-terapeutiese, rituele verwydering van die peniele voorhuid van ’n manspersoon. Dit word gedoen as deel van ’n seremonie van oorgang vanaf kinderjare na volwassenheid en manlikheid. Die praktyk van TMB het die afgelope jare toenemende aandag geniet, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van komplikasies van die prosedure wat gelei het tot hospitalisasie, peniele amputasies en dood van die persone wat geïnisieer is. Hierdie studie is ’n literatuuroorsig en filosofies-etiese refleksie met die volgende doelwitte: • Om die huidige probleme met TMB in Suid-Afrika te verduidelik • Om die sosio-kulturele konteks waarin TMB in Suid-Afrika plaasvind, te ondersoek • Om vanuit etiese oorweging te verduidelik wat die nadele en voordele van TMB is en te bepaal of die praktyk, in die huidige vorm, suiwer nadelig of voordelig is • Om die etiese basis waarop die gemeenskap in TMB behoort in te tree, asook die voorgestelde metode van intervensie, te ondersoek. Kepe (2010:729-730) identifiseer drie samevallende krisisse wat TMB in Suid- Afrika insluit – die probleem van siekte, beserings en dood ondervind deur sommige inisiandi, spanning tussen die regering en tradisionele leiers met betrekking tot regerings-intervensie in TMB, en die ongekontroleerde en negatiewe wyse waarin samelewingsveranderinge ’n impak het op die praktyk van tradisionele manlike besnyding. Manlike besnyding is die mees algemene aanvaarde kulturele praktyk in die Xhosa-sprekende mense van Suid-Afrika. Dit word beskou as die enigste manier waarop ‘n seun manlikheid en volwassenheid kan bereik (Vincent, 2008). In die lig van die voortdurende, ondubbelsinnige en voorkomende nadele wat geassosieer word met TMB soos dit tans beoefen word, dink ek dit behoort nie toegelaat te word in die huidige formaat nie. Maar ek dink ook dat die gebrek in TMB herstelbaar is. Daarom voel ek genoegsaam verseker om intervensie te verdedig om die praktyk veiliger te maak vir almal betrokke. Intervensie in TMB mag geregverdig word op grond van publieke , sosiaalkulturele en outonomiese voordele.
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Aakur, Sathyanarayanan Narasimhan. "Beyond Labels and Captions: Contextualizing Grounded Semantics for Explainable Visual Interpretation." Scholar Commons, 2019. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7718.
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One of the long-standing problems in artificial intelligence is the development of intelligent agents with complete visual understanding. Understanding entails recognition of scene attributes such as actors, objects and actions as well as reasoning about the common semantic structure that combines these attributes into a coherent description. While significant milestones have been achieved in the field of computer vision, majority of the work has been concentrated on supervised visual recognition where complex visual representations are learned and a few discrete categories or labels are assigned to these representations. This implies a closed world where the underlying assumption is that all environments contain the same objects and events, which are in one-to-one correspondence with the ground evidence in the image. Hence, the learned knowledge is limited to the annotated training set. An open world, on the other hand, does not assume the distribution of semantics and requires generalization beyond the training annotations. Increasingly complex models require massive amounts of training data and offer little to no explainability due to the lack of transparency in the decision-making process. The strength of artificial intelligence systems to offer explanations for their decisions is central to building user confidence and structuring smart human-machine interactions. In this dissertation, we develop an inherently explainable approach for generating rich interpretations of visual scenes. We move towards an open world open-domain visual understanding by decoupling the ideas of recognition and reasoning. We integrate common sense knowledge from large knowledge bases such as ConceptNet and the representation learning capabilities of deep learning approaches in a pattern theory formalism to interpret a complex visual scene. To be specific, we first define and develop the idea of contextualization to model and establish complex semantic relationships among concepts grounded in visual data. The resulting semantic structures, called interpretations allow us to represent the visual scene in an intermediate representation that can then be used as the source of knowledge for various modes of expression such as labels, captions and even question answering. Second, we explore the inherent explainability of such visual interpretations and define key components for extending the notion of explainability to intelligent agents for visual recognition. Finally, we describe a self-supervised model for segmenting untrimmed videos into its constituent events. We show that this approach can segment videos without the need for supervision - neither implicit nor explicit. Combined, we argue that these approaches offer an elegant path to inherently explainable, open domain visual understanding while negating the need for human supervision in the form of labels and/or captions. We show that the proposed approach can advance the state-of-the-art results in complex benchmarks to handle data imbalance, complex semantics, and complex visual scenes without the need for vast amounts of domain-specific training data. Extensive experiments on several publicly available datasets show the efficacy of the proposed approaches. We show that the proposed approaches outperform weakly-supervised and unsupervised baselines by up to 24% and achieves competitive segmentation results compared to fully supervised baselines. The self-supervised approach for video segmentation complements this top-down inference with efficient bottom-up processing, resulting in an elegant formalism for open-domain visual understanding.
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Moody, Anthony L. "Towards understanding the distribution of groups of foragers." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1995. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.318966.
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Shaker, Sahba. "Understanding informal segregation : racial and spatial identities among the Indian minority of Mokopane." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18375.
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South Africa is a melting pot and a meeting place for a multitude of "races", representing an optimal arena for understanding the psychology of contact and desegregation. This study focuses on the spatial arrangement of minority identities, through continued informal segregation, among the Indian minority of Mokopane. Drawing on 28 open-ended interviews, segregation is explored in everyday interactions and spaces. Working within a spatial-discursive framework, critical discourse analysis is employed, paired with a basic observational and descriptive analysis. Participants' discursive constructions overwhelmingly demonstrate patterns of informal segregation among the Indian minority community, within the micro-ecology of contact. Caught within a sandwiched or "buffer" identity, issues of space constantly inform negotiating conceptions of "Indianness". In mapping the dialogue of the Indian community, a story of the evolution of segregation emerges, creating a replication of internal divisions. This study ultimately demonstrates the need for a spatial-discursive orientation and a more "embodied" turn in our understanding of segregation.
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Hinrichs, Brian R. McNeal Larry. "Understanding situational leadership and its relationship to student project groups." Normal, Ill. Illinois State University, 1998. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ilstu/fullcit?p9835908.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 1998.Title from title page screen, viewed July 3, 2006. Dissertation Committee: Larry McNeal (chair), Dianne Ashby, George Padavil, Lemuel Watson, Kenneth Crapes. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 246-259) and abstract. Also available in print.
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Wallace, Rick L., Nakia J. Woodward, and Emily C. Weyant. "Re-Thinking our Understanding of User Needs Through Focus Groups." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2016. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/8701.
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Chalmers, Christina. "Primary students' group metacognitive processes in a computer supported collaborative learning environment." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2009. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/29819/1/Christina_Chalmers_Thesis.pdf.
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The current understanding of students’ group metacognition is limited. The research on metacognition has focused mainly on the individual student. The aim of this study was to address the void by developing a conceptual model to inform the use of scaffolds to facilitate group metacognition during mathematical problem solving in computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments. An initial conceptual framework based on the literature from metacognition, cooperative learning, cooperative group metacognition, and computer supported collaborative learning was used to inform the study. In order to achieve the study aim, a design research methodology incorporating two cycles was used. The first cycle focused on the within-group metacognition for sixteen groups of primary school students working together around the computer; the second cycle included between-group metacognition for six groups of primary school students working together on the Knowledge Forum® CSCL environment. The study found that providing groups with group metacognitive scaffolds resulted in groups planning, monitoring, and evaluating the task and team aspects of their group work. The metacognitive scaffolds allowed students to focus on how their group was completing the problem-solving task and working together as a team. From these findings, a revised conceptual model to inform the use of scaffolds to facilitate group metacognition during mathematical problem solving in computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments was generated.
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Chalmers, Christina. "Primary students' group metacognitive processes in a computer supported collaborative learning environment." Queensland University of Technology, 2009. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/29819/.
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The current understanding of students’ group metacognition is limited. The research on metacognition has focused mainly on the individual student. The aim of this study was to address the void by developing a conceptual model to inform the use of scaffolds to facilitate group metacognition during mathematical problem solving in computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments. An initial conceptual framework based on the literature from metacognition, cooperative learning, cooperative group metacognition, and computer supported collaborative learning was used to inform the study. In order to achieve the study aim, a design research methodology incorporating two cycles was used. The first cycle focused on the within-group metacognition for sixteen groups of primary school students working together around the computer; the second cycle included between-group metacognition for six groups of primary school students working together on the Knowledge Forum® CSCL environment. The study found that providing groups with group metacognitive scaffolds resulted in groups planning, monitoring, and evaluating the task and team aspects of their group work. The metacognitive scaffolds allowed students to focus on how their group was completing the problem-solving task and working together as a team. From these findings, a revised conceptual model to inform the use of scaffolds to facilitate group metacognition during mathematical problem solving in computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments was generated.
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Codio, Sherley. "Understanding Community Privacy through Focus Group Studies." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32200.
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Just as an individual is rightly concerned about the privacy of their personally identifying information, so also is a group of people, a community, concerned about the privacy of sensitive information entrusted to their care. Our research seeks to develop a better understanding of the factors contributing to the sensitivity of community information, of the privacy threats that are recognized by the community, and of the means by which the community attempts to fulfill their privacy responsibilities. We are also interested in seeing how the elements of a community privacy model that we developed are related to the findings from the studies of communities. This thesis presents the results of a series of focus group sessions conducted in corporate settings. Three focus group interviews were conducted using participants from two information technology companies and one research group from the university. Three themes emerged from the analysis of these focus group interviews which are described as privacy awareness, situated disclosures, and confinement of sensitive information. These three themes capture the character and complexity of community oriented privacy and expose breakdowns in current approaches.Master of Science
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Hanson, Sarah. "Towards an understanding of walking groups as a health promoting intervention." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2016. https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/59466/.
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Low levels of physical activity are a major cause of disease burden. This presents a serious health challenge. Despite the benefits of physical activity being widely promoted, inactivity remains pernicious. This is compounded by physical activity interventions tending to be placed in more affluent areas and taken up by those who are more educated and in better health. Outdoor group walks have the potential to be a useful health intervention as they increase physical activity and are cost effective. However, a more extensive understanding is needed before they can be more widely promoted. This thesis sought to address this. Using mixed methods, it assessed any health benefits from group walking. It then evaluated their potential to influence health inequity. Finally, it sought to make recommendations to more effectively promote, and recruit to, walking groups for those people in poorest health. This thesis demonstrates the wide ranging psychological and physiological benefits from walking groups. With good adherence and virtually no adverse effects they can be safely and confidently recommended by clinicians. Their potential to increase inequity has also been demonstrated. Firstly, they may not be set up in those areas in greatest need. Secondly, the lack of a ‘bottom-up’ community partnership approach precludes reach into deprived communities and long term sustainability. Thirdly, without effective partnerships and promotion of walking groups by health professionals, targeted recruitment of the most inactive and those in poorest health remains problematic. Finally, promoting the social element of group-based interventions creates a barrier to those who find such expectations inhibiting; rather better to give clear tangible advice about their health promoting benefits. Outdoor walking groups are a safe and effective health promoting intervention but they should be developed and promoted judiciously to target those who would benefit the most and avoid potentially increasing intervention based inequity.
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Hutchinson, Andrew John. "Understanding successful physical activity behaviour change using a grounded theory methodology." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 2009. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/17709/.
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Research evidence highlights regular physical activity (PA) as an increasingly important factor in the prevention of a variety of chronic diseases. Consequently, encouraging people to make PA related lifestyle changes is an everyday challenge faced by health professionals in primary and secondary health care settings. Although a number of intervention strategies have been developed and implemented, research evidence presents only limited support for their efficacy. While short-term changes may be achievable using current intervention strategies, long-term change (i.e. maintenance) appears much more difficult to achieve. Although many public health interventions are developed without explicit reference to theory, evidence suggests that the explicit use of theory will significantly improve the chances of effectiveness (Nutbeam & Harris, 2004). As no existing theoretical models are specifically intended to account for PA behaviour change, a number of pre-existing theoretical frameworks have been adopted to explain PA participation. This thesis reviews the existing body of theoretical literature in exercise psychology alongside conducting a systematic review (Study 1) of interventions based on the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). As a result, the theoretical depth or explanatory quality of existing models and theories is called into question, when applied to a PA context and specific phenomena such as long-term PA behaviour change. After reflecting on the debate surrounding different epistemological viewpoints and theoretical perspectives, applications of an alternative theory generating research approach (the Grounded Theory Methodology: GTM) are explored and evaluated. As a result, in light of the considerable epistemological debate that surrounds GTM, study 2 of this thesis focuses explicitly on methodological issues within exercise psychology. A critical review of applications of GTM within exercise psychology is conducted. Results reveal that many existing studies.demonstrate a poor understanding of GTM and/or fail to present an adequate account of the research process. Ultimately the results of study 2 provide valuable implications for study 3 of this thesis, which adopts GTM to develop an ecologically valid explanatory model of long-term PA behaviour change. Twenty-one adult participants (9 male, 12 female), aged between 38 and 62 years, were recruited from a countywide PA referral scheme. All participants had made long-term, positive changes to their PA habits. Participants contributed to 25 in-depth interviews. All sampling and analytical procedures were dictated by the key tenets of GTM and a constructivist theoretical stance. To assist with the GTM process, the software package QSR-NVivo was used throughout. A grounded theory of longterm PA behaviour change is presented in the form of a multidimensional explanatory model. The model identifies a number of observed cognitive processes, which appear central to PA behaviour change and maintenance. The underlying mechanisms responsible for these are also highlighted. Results are discussed with specific emphasis on literature surrounding value theories, core beliefs and the introduction of prominent clinical psychology and psychotherapy approaches within exercise psychology. Finally, implications for theory development and applied practice are highlighted and directions for future research suggested.
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Corapi, Susan. "Exploring intercultural understanding through global children's literature and educator study groups." Thesis, The University of Arizona, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3635959.
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Engagement with global children's literature is an effective way to introduce multiple perspectives into the classroom dialogue. Yet teachers are often unfamiliar with ways of helping students understand diverse cultural practices and beliefs. The result is that global children's literature continues to be an underused resource.
This action research study looked at 25 highly diverse educator study groups as they used global literature with pre-K - 12 students. The goal was to support the development of intercultural understanding. The study groups received $1,000 grants from Worlds of Words (wowlit.org) to fund their yearlong inquiry. The groups met face-to-face throughout the year to reflect on the interactions taking place in their classrooms. All groups met online on a members-only site. Data collected included proposals, reports, teacher vignettes, and interviews. The data was used to document range of study group structures and interactions with global literature. The study groups and online forum were supported by a grant from the Longview Foundation.
Through constant comparative analysis, new transformative understandings were identified. Key elements in the development of intercultural understanding included open inquiry, recognition of complexity and multiple perspectives, thinking about culture at a conceptual level, and engaging in open dialogue. Teachers reported an increased understanding of their competence as professionals, their student's competence as problem-posers and thinkers, and the parents' competence as important contributors to intercultural understanding.
The study concludes with implications for practitioners wanting to engage in classroom inquiries using global literature to support developing intercultural understanding. A second set of implications suggests ways in which the study group process can be made more effective. New questions are proposed for future research related to the use of global literature in various contexts, including classrooms, online professional development, and libraries.
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Lloyd, Susannah. "Understanding the experience of prophylactic bilateral mastectomy : a grounded theory study." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.302194.
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Hart, Claire M. "Free-riders, faultlines and fissions : understanding transformations within small task groups." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.414692.
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Leondar-Wright, Betsy. "Missing Class: How Understanding Class Cultures Can Strengthen Social Movement Groups." Thesis, Boston College, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/3697.
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Thesis advisor: Willaim A. GamsonWhat are the class culture differences among US progressive social movement groups? This mixed-methods study finds that activists speak and act differently depending on their class background, current class and upward, downward or steady class trajectory, confirming previous research on cultural capital and conditioned class predispositions. In 2007-8, 34 meetings of 25 groups in four movement traditions were observed in five states; 364 demographic surveys were collected; and 61 interviews were conducted. I compared activists' approaches to six frequently mentioned group problems. * Lifelong-working-class activists, usually drawn in through preexisting affiliations, relied on recruitment incentives such as food and one-on-one relationships. Both disempowered neophytes and experienced powerhouses believed in strength in numbers, had positive attitudes towards trustworthy leaders, and stressed loyalty and unity. * Lifelong-professional-middle-class (PMC) activists, usually individually committed to a cause prior to joining, relied on shared ideas to recruit. They focused more on internal organizational development and had negative attitudes towards leadership. Subsets of PMC activists behaved differently: lower professionals communicated tentatively and avoided conflict, while upper-middle-class people were more assertive and polished. * Upwardly mobile straddlers tended to promote their moral certainties within groups. A subset, uprooted from their working-class backgrounds but not assimilated into professional circles, sometimes pushed self-righteously and brought discord into groups. * Voluntarily downwardly mobile activists, mostly young white anarchists, drew the strongest ideological boundaries and had the most distinct movement culture. Mistrustful of new people and sometimes seeing persuasion as coercive, they had the weakest recruitment and group cohesion methods. Analysis of class speech differences found that working-class activists spoke more often but more briefly in meetings, preferred more concrete speech, and used more teasing and self-deprecating humor. The professional-middle-class (in background and/or current class) spoke longer but less often, preferred more abstract vocabulary, and used less negative humor. Group styles were formed by the interplay of members' predominant class trajectories and groups' movement traditions. Better understanding these class culture differences would enable activists to strengthen cross-class alliances to build more powerful social movements
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Sociology
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Rossitto, Chiara. "Managing Work at Several Places : Understanding Nomadic Practices in Student Groups." Doctoral thesis, Stockholm : Datavetenskap och kommunikation, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-9827.
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Page, Nathaniel W. "International Student Support Groups: Understanding Experiences of Group Members and Leaders." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2015. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/5565.
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A multi-site qualitative study explored the group experiences of 6 group leaders and 10 group members who participated in 7 different university counseling center international student support groups. Data collection and analysis phases followed the process of hermeneutic interpretation articulated by Kvale and Brinkmann (2009), which resulted in nine major themes and ten sub-themes organized into four sections: (a) Recruitment and group design, (b) Experiences of group members, (c) Experiences of group leaders, and (d) Additional considerations. Implications for international student support groups are discussed.
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Scott, Tianeka S. "Understanding Hydrogen Bonding in Photoenolization." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1378196534.
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Shin, Hannah. "Career anchors : understanding differences among demographic groups at the Naval Postgraduate School." Thesis, Monterey, Calif. : Springfield, Va. : Naval Postgraduate School ; Available from National Technical Information Service, 2001. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA401552.
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Thesis (M.S. in Management) Naval Postgraduate School, Dec. 2001."December 2001". Thesis advisor(s): Jansen, Erik; Hocevar, Susan P. Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-97). Also available online.
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Raphael, Helen Mary. "A grounded theory study of men's perceptions, understanding and experiences of osteoporosis." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.494518.
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Tejerina, Veronica. "The understanding of the concept of development by indigenous groups in Bolivia." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.514443.
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Bolivia is a small land-locked country in the heart of Latin America with one of the lowest indicators of human development in the western hemisphere (UNDP, 2002). This relatively small country is, nonetheless, "wealthy in terms of cultural diversity and natural resources. 36 different indigenous peoples among less than 10 million people populate Bolivia's one million square kilometers of territory" Oxfam (2008). This study focuses on not only exploring the concept of development as it is understood by indigenous groups in Bolivia (Quechua and Aymara in rural areas), but also on exploring whether the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Human Development Index (HDI) reflect this understanding. An interest in exploring this hypothesis - one that addresses divergent understandings of the concept of development between donors and recipients - arises from: the relative failure in international organizations in achieving development targets in Bolivia; Bolivia's ethnic composition; its distinctive features; and, importantly, the current political unrest, which has exacerbated racial and economic tensions between the Amerindian populations of the Andean west and the nonindigenous communities of the eastern lowlands. Development policies and practices are founded on a selection of outcomes and goals behind which lie a vision of human development. Due to the high percentages of poverty in the world, there are competing definitions of development or wellbeing. It is important to note that participants in development can differ in their approach to development and this affects what they do (Copestake and Camfield, 2009). Current development aid agencies' policies and practices provide goals based on a vision of human development. These goals and outcomes are represented within the Human Development Reports and Millennium Development Goals. Therefore, it seems very important to know more about the goals of development for groups of the population such as indigenous groups, in order to take into account the way they - as participants in development - think about their life (Copestake and Camfield, 2009). This study explores the concept of development as it is understood by indigenous groups through social representation theory; and, moreover, it examines whether the MDGs and HOI reflect this understanding.
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Vella, Lydia Roseanna. "Understanding parenting groups : parents' experiences and objective change in parent-child interaction." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2015. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/5781/.
Full textAbstract:
The first chapter presents a systematic review of how parenting groups can impact observed parent-child interaction, focussing on the groups recommended to UK commissioners. Seventeen studies were identified, evaluating eight of the 21 recommended programmes. Sixteen studies reported post-intervention improvements in observed parent-child interaction. Most studies reported summary, rather than detailed, variables describing parent-child interaction. The findings suggest that several parenting groups are associated with observed improvement in parent-child interaction, although the level of evidence for different interventions is variable. Further research is required to understand the nature of changes in more detail. The second chapter presents an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of parents' experience of participating in the Solihull Approach parenting group, "Understanding Your Child's Behaviour" (UYCB). Ten parents were interviewed after completing the group, and again ten months later. Four themes were identified: Satisfied Customers, Development as a Parent, Improved Self-belief, and the "Matthew Effect". The findings suggest that UYCB is achieving its aims and communicating its theoretical principles, although change also appears to occur through group processes found in other programmes. Positive outcomes appear to be maintained, even reinforced, ten months later. Recommendations for programme development include simplified language and separate groups for parents with complex needs.
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Nassiff, Edwin Frank. "Understanding the Value of Enterprise Architecture for Organizations: A Grounded Theory Approach." NSUWorks, 2012. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd/258.
Full textAbstract:
There is a high rate of information system implementation failures attributed to the lack of alignment between business and information technology strategy. Although enterprise architecture (EA) is a means to correct alignment problems and executives highly rate the importance of EA, it is still not used in most organizations today. Current literature only gave anecdotal reasons why EA was not more widely adopted. This study explored the problem of EA underutilization by understanding how organizational executives value EA.
This research used the grounded theory methodology to obtain the EA perspectives of organizational executives responsible for EA. Seventeen executives were selected using theoretical sampling and interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach. The interview data was recorded and coded, and interviewing continued until theoretical saturation was reached.
The executives identified four distinct meanings of EA, i.e., business and IT alignment, a holistic representation of the enterprise, a planned vision of the future, and a process, methodology, or framework enhancing enterprise decision making. In addition, they identified 16 unique benefits that EA provided. Depending on the meaning of EA, it was possible to predict what benefits they expected. For example, if the meaning of EA was a holistic representation of the enterprise, then the benefits of increase operational effectiveness, planning, product selection, and speak a common language were expected. However, regardless of which of the four meanings of EA was selected, executives expected EA to facilitate the alignment of business and IT, the decision making process, and the simplification of system and architecture management. Based on the findings, an analytic story and a theoretical model were produced. The model depicted the influencers on what meaning an executive chose and, based on the meaning, the expected benefits of EA.
The understanding of executives' perceptions of EA is critical because they are the most influential leaders within organizations. Without their understanding, it becomes less likely that EA initiatives would meet organizational expectations and have favorable outcomes. Furthermore, it is hoped that this study shapes future EA initiatives so that they become more aligned with the views of the executives who are responsible for them.
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Ross, Nancy J. "Facilitating shared understanding| A grounded theory for decision-making in pain management." Thesis, University of Phoenix, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10137454.
Full textAbstract:
Inadequate and inconsistent nursing practices related to pain management are a significant problem facing stakeholders in the health care industry. The purpose of the research study was twofold: (a) to explore the processes used by registered nurses’ for clinical decision making regarding pain management in the acute care setting and (b) to develop a substantive theory using grounded theory by examining the emergent data from the perceptions of as many as 20 registered nurses. The study explored registered nurses’ perceptions of the process of clinical decision-making in pain management within the context of social norms of nursing care and the setting in which practice takes place. The exploration of the complex dynamics of clinical decision-making in pain management was guided by the principles of classic grounded theory. Fourteen registered nurses (n=14) participated in an interview process and provided their perceptions of the clinical decision-making process in pain management. Through an inductive iterative process of constant comparative analysis, patterns of conceptual relationships were revealed closing the theory-practice gap in the literature for the substantive problem of inadequate pain management and the process of clinical decision-making in pain management. The substantive theory that emerged from the data is facilitating shared understanding: registered nurses partnering through relating, referring, advocating, and bargaining with the patient, and members of the health care team to make patient-centered clinical decisions in pain management.