本論文的研究主旨勿探討立法委員的選區經營方式，作者將選區經營中的選民服務(casework)獨立出來，探討它與選區經營的其他部份工作的關係。筆者發現，選民服務與連任得票之間的確有正相關的關係，而且與選民對立委的工作滿意度亦有正相關的關係。 　　本論文分為六章，分別略述於下：第一章緒論：分析選民服務的特性，並且建立選區經營與選民服務之研究架構。第二章研究背景，概述台灣國會選舉制度與政治文化。第三章選民服務案分析，剖析立委的選區服務組織與服務案處理程序，並且畫分服務案的特質。第四章選區經營分析，探討選區經營的兩項工作：拜訪選民與發行國會通訊。第五章選民服務的效果分析，證明選民服務的效果。第六章為結論。

Stimuli outside classical receptive fields have been shown to exert significant influence over the activities of neurons in primary visual cortexWe propose that contextual influences are used for pre-attentive visual segmentation, in a new framework called segmentation without classification. This means that segmentation of an image into regions occurs without classification of features within a region or comparison of features between regions. This segmentation framework is simpler than previous computational approaches, making it implementable by V1 mechanisms, though higher leve l visual mechanisms are needed to refine its output. However, it easily handles a class of segmentation problems that are tricky in conventional methods. The cortex computes global region boundaries by detecting the breakdown of homogeneity or translation invariance in the input, using local intra-cortical interactions mediated by the horizontal connections. The difference between contextual influences near and far from region boundaries makes neural activities near region boundaries higher than elsewhere, making boundaries more salient for perceptual pop-out. This proposal is implemented in a biologically based model of V1, and demonstrated using examples of texture segmentation and figure-ground segregation. The model performs segmentation in exactly the same neural circuit that solves the dual problem of the enhancement of contours, as is suggested by experimental observations. Its behavior is compared with psychophysical and physiological data on segmentation, contour enhancement, and contextual influences. We discuss the implications of segmentation without classification and the predictions of our V1 model, and relate it to other phenomena such as asymmetry in visual search.

The aim of this study was to investigate possible alterations in attentive functions and mental flexibility in individuals diagnosed with Addiction. The sample (n=40) was located for convenience, and included 20 individuals with addiction behaviors (G1), and 20 individuals who do not use harmfully psychoactive substances (G2). Assessment instruments used were: Experimental and Computerized Test of Continuous Performance, and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. It was concluded that individuals in the G1 group had a poorer performance in all categories analyzed on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and in reaction time on the Experimental and Computerized Test (p<0,05), showing a deficit in mental flexibility and attentive functions, which may have direct implications on addictive behaviors and treatment. / O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar possíveis alterações na focalização atentiva e flexibilidade mental de sujeitos diagnosticados em dependência química. A amostra (n=40) foi localizada por conveniência, e contou com 20 indivíduos diagnosticados em dependência química (G1), e 20 sujeitos que não fazem uso nocivo de substâncias psicoativas (G2). Os instrumentos utilizados foram: Teste Experimental Computadorizado de Desempenho Contínuo, e Teste Wisconsin de Classificação de Cartas. Constatou-se que os indivíduos do grupo G1 apresentaram pior desempenho em todas as categorias analisadas do Teste Wisconsin e nos tempos de reação do Teste Experimental Computadorizado (p<0,05), evidenciando uma deficiência na flexibilidade cognitiva e nas funções atentivas, o que pode ter implicações diretas nos comportamentos aditivos e para o tratamento. / Mestre em Psicologia Aplicada

This study aims to examine outdoor play as a phenomenon in a selection of Swedish preschools; the purpose, the teaching that occurs and to explore the term “teaching” through a new materialist lens. We employ a thematic analysis which focuses on issues such as the environment, staff attitudes, materials available together with curriculum aspirations. Through interviews, case studies and blueprints over two schoolyards we have painted a picture that is more complex than at first glance. A new materials interpretation offers a view that there are more aspects at play than simply staffing levels or the availability of an adequate schoolyard. Other agents that shape the outdoor experience include non-human elements such as materials, the environment, discourses and organizational structures as well as phenomena like the weather. The outdoors doesn’t just offer a range of pedagogical opportunities, it also offers vital opportunities for both staff and children to enjoy restoration; a break for both mind and body. Finally, we review and re-interpret the term “teaching” through a new materials perspective. With the inclusion of materials as potential producers of knowledge we broaden this term to acknowledge the importance of children’s interactions with their environment. We posit that this allows children to elevate their own learning experiences to equal or more than the value of learning facilitated by an adult.

Background. Visualizations are used in games to help players find and complete objectives, such as shooting all enemies or finding the hidden treasure. Different methods to do this involve outlines of various colors as well as markers floating above targets. To the best of the author’s knowledge, no research regarding how these outlines affect player performance exists. Objectives. The objective for this thesis is to find out how an outline around a target in a First Person Shooter game affects the accuracy and the shooting speed for the player. Methods. In order to collect the data a small game was developed where players completed two levels, where one had targets with outlines while the targets on the other level did not. The metrics for the experiment include time to shoot and distance from the center of the target to where the shot lands. Time to shoot is also used to get the time to re-shoot, if the previous shot missed the target. Results. The data collected during the experiment show that having an outline around a target lowers the time needed for players to shoot at it, both when it first shows up but also if the first shot missed and the player must shoot again. Having an outline also lowers the accuracy, with more misses and a longer distance from the point where a shot landed to the center of the targets. The results are statistically significant. Conclusions. Having outlines might help players find targets faster, at the cost of accuracy. However, more research is needed regarding the different aspects of the outline. / Bakgrund. Visualiseringar används i spel för att hjälpa spelare att hitta och slutföra objekt, så som att skjuta alla fiender eller hitta den gömda skatten. Olika metoder för att göra detta är bland annat outlines, en aura runt ett objekt, i olika färger och markörer som flyter ovanför mål. Dock så har det inte hittats någon forskning om hur dessa outlines påverkar spelarnas prestation. Syfte. Målet med denna tes är att ta reda på hur en outline runt ett mål i ett spel av genren First Person Shooter påverkar träffsäkerheten och skjuthastigheten för spelaren. Metod. För att samla ihop datan som behövdes utvecklades ett litet spel där spelare spelade två nivåer, där en hade outlines och den andra inte hade det. För att kunna jämföra resultatet används tiden till skott samt avståndet mellan målets mittpunkt och positionen där ett skott landade. Tiden till skott används även för att få tidenför att skjuta igen, om det förra skottet missade måltavlan. Resultat. Datan som samlades in under experimentet visar att om det finns en outline runt en måltavla minskade tiden som en spelare behövde för att skjuta, både när målet först dök upp och om första skottet missade och spelaren behövde skjuta igen. Att ha en outline minskade även träffsäkerheten hos spelarna, med fler missade skott och en längre sträcka från punkten där skottet träffade till mitten av målet. Datan är statistiskt signifikant. Slutsatser. Att ha outlines hjälper spelare att skjuta snabbare, till kostnad av en lägre träffsäkerhet. Dock behövs mer forskning gällande de olika aspekterna av outlines.

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This Qualitative research investigated and explored using a Narrative approach with teachers to find ways to improve the quality of teachers’ lives through the use of stories in Pastoral Counselling. A small group of teachers from a local primary school were invited to share their stories as a means to explore care and support actions for other teachers in the South African context. Statistics seem to point to a crisis in the South African education system, especially regarding the well-being of teachers. Various factors contribute to this including issues of diversity in the teaching context and challenges posed by inclusive education. It is my belief that a Narrative approach can assist Practical Theology to make a significant contribution towards helping struggling teachers nurture resilience and create more meaningful lives. Narrative Inquiry, a relatively new Qualitative methodology, was used to study the teachers’ experiences. This required a “collaboration between researcher and participants” which happened over time, in a particular context (Beaumont Primary School in Somerset West) and in social interactions with the research participants: a small group of teachers from Beaumont Primary School. African and South African views were investigated. Data collection methods included: interviewing; attentive listening; and observation, through which stories (data) was collected from the focus group. After analysing and interpreting the research data, an integrated Narrative Pastoral model was constructed which could assist Practical Theology and Pastoral Counselling to better equip teachers to deal with the challenges they are facing. It is hoped that this model will ultimately help the teachers involved in this research project to grow into integrated, whole (quality) beings who can make a difference where they work and live. The vision is that this model can also be implemented in the rest of South Africa’s teacher population. / Practical Theology / D. Th. (Practical Theology)

Recurrent neural networks (RNN) are known for their notorious exploding and vanishing gradient problem (EVGP). This problem becomes more evident in tasks where the information needed to correctly solve them exist over long time scales, because it prevents important gradient components from being back-propagated adequately over a large number of steps. The papers written in this work formalizes gradient propagation in parametric and semi-parametric RNNs to gain a better understanding towards the source of this problem. The first paper introduces a simple stochastic algorithm (h-detach) that is specific to LSTM optimization and targeted towards addressing the EVGP problem. Using this we show significant improvements over vanilla LSTM in terms of convergence speed, robustness to seed and learning rate, and generalization on various benchmark datasets. The next paper focuses on semi-parametric RNNs and self-attentive networks. Self-attention provides a way by which a system can dynamically access past states (stored in memory) which helps in mitigating vanishing of gradients. Although useful, it is difficult to scale as the size of the computational graph grows quadratically with the number of time steps involved. In the paper we describe a relevancy screening mechanism, inspired by the cognitive process of memory consolidation, that allows for a scalable use of sparse self-attention with recurrence while ensuring good gradient propagation. / Les réseaux de neurones récurrents (RNN) sont connus pour leur problème de gradient d'explosion et de disparition notoire (EVGP). Ce problème devient plus évident dans les tâches où les informations nécessaires pour les résoudre correctement existent sur de longues échelles de temps, car il empêche les composants de gradient importants de se propager correctement sur un grand nombre d'étapes. Les articles écrits dans ce travail formalise la propagation du gradient dans les RNN paramétriques et semi-paramétriques pour mieux comprendre la source de ce problème. Le premier article présente un algorithme stochastique simple (h-detach) spécifique à l'optimisation LSTM et visant à résoudre le problème EVGP. En utilisant cela, nous montrons des améliorations significatives par rapport au LSTM vanille en termes de vitesse de convergence, de robustesse au taux d'amorçage et d'apprentissage, et de généralisation sur divers ensembles de données de référence. Le prochain article se concentre sur les RNN semi-paramétriques et les réseaux auto-attentifs. L'auto-attention fournit un moyen par lequel un système peut accéder dynamiquement aux états passés (stockés en mémoire), ce qui aide à atténuer la disparition des gradients. Bien qu'utile, il est difficile à mettre à l'échelle car la taille du graphe de calcul augmente de manière quadratique avec le nombre de pas de temps impliqués. Dans l'article, nous décrivons un mécanisme de criblage de pertinence, inspiré par le processus cognitif de consolidation de la mémoire, qui permet une utilisation évolutive de l'auto-attention clairsemée avec récurrence tout en assurant une bonne propagation du gradient.

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