Thesis (M. Phil)--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

At first glance, one might perceive fictional characters as straightforward beings. Upon closer examination, however, one discovers what multi-faceted entities they really are. This essay deals with the complexity of the nature of characters by focusing on several theoretical and practical aspects thereof. With the help of several theorists (such as Todorov, Greimas, and Hamon) this paper uses theoretical concepts as a springboard for a discussion of strategies and pitfalls in the creation of fictional characters. Virginia Woolf, Julien Green, Milan Kundera and Gabrielle Roy are some of the writers whose knowledge was tapped for the portion of the essay dealing with the creation of characters. / La vie a travers un kaleidoscope (Life as seen through a kaleidoscope) is a collection of seven short stories in which some of the characters were inspired by people encountered by the author. The focus on character in the essay is therefore a natural extension of the creation of these short stories.

Santrauka Šio tyrimo tikslas – įvertinti WAIS-III psichometrines charakteristikas. Tyrime iš viso dalyvavo 75 tiriamieji, kuriems kvalifikuoti tyrėjai pateikė WAIS-III užduotis. Atrenkant tyrimo dalyvius, buvo vykdoma tikslinė atranka, remiantis šiais kriterijais: amžiumi, gyvenamąja vieta ir išsilavinimu. Šiame tyrime dalyvavo 36 vyrai ir 39 moterys. Tiriamųjų amžius nuo 16 iki 79 metų. Vertinant WAIS-III psichometrines charakteristikas, buvo įvertintas atskirų subtestų užduočių tinkamumas, naujų užduočių tinkamumas, verbalinių ir neverbalinių subtestų patikimumas dalijimo pusiau metodu ir testo konstrukto validumas. Buvo vertintas verbalinių ir neverbalinių subtestų užduočių tinkamumas, remiantis užduoties sunkumo bei diferencinės galios indeksais, koreguotos koreliacijos koeficientu. Labiausiai pakito Žodyno subtestas, kuriame buvo paliktas 21 originalios versijos žodis ir pridėta 12 naujų žodžių. Panašumų subteste buvo palikta 19 originalios versijos užduočių ir pridėtos 3 naujos. Informacijos subteste buvo palikti 24 originalios versijos klausimai ir pridėta 4 nauji. Supratingumo subteste buvo palikta 18 originalios versijos užduočių ir pridėtos 2 naujos. Visų verbalinių subtestų užduotys buvo išdėliotos nauja tvarka, išskyrus Skaičių eilė ir Raidžių – skaičių eilės. Paveikslėlių užbaigimo, Kubelių kompozicijos, Matricų ir Paveikslėlių užbaigimo užduotys buvo išdėliotos nauja tvarka. Objektų surinkimo subtestas buvo paliktas toks, koks pateikiamas originalioje versijoje... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Summary The purpose of this research is to evaluate WAIS-III psychometric characteristics. In total 75 subjects participated in the research; they were provided with WAIS-III tasks by the qualified researchers. When selecting the participants for the research, a target selection was carried out based on the following criteria: age, place of residence and education. 36 men and 39 women participated in this research. The age of the participants was from 16 to 79 years. While evaluating WAIS-III psychometric characteristics suitability of separate tasks of the subtests was estimated, as well as availability of new tasks, reliability of verbal and non-verbal subtests by the odd/even method and also the validity of the construct of the test. Suitability of the tasks of the verbal and non-verbal subtests was evaluated based on the indexes of the complexity of the task and the differential power, coefficient of the adjusted correlation. The Vocabulary subtest was transformed the most, in it 21 words from the original version were maintained and 12 new words added. In the Similarities subtest 19 tasks from the original version were maintained and 3 new tasks added. In the Information subtest 24 questions from the original version were maintained and 4 new questions added. In the Comprehension subtests 18 tasks were maintained from the original version and 2 new tasks were added. All the tasks of verbal subtests were set out in a new order, except for the Digit Span and Letter –... [to full text]

By integrating an electrochemical deposition process and a silicon chip manufacturing process, a chemical sensor based on a floating gate field-effect transistor was developed. The sensor was fabricated using the standard 0.35μm CMOS process with minimal post-processing. A pH-sensitive organic polymer was electrochemically deposited on the “pseudo” floating gate extension. This “pseudo” floating gate extension was an external area connected to the floating gate of the testing device. By monitoring the change of the current-voltage characteristics during exposure to the gas phase of the chemical aqueous solution, the sensor was shown to be feasible with a reasonable sensitivity.

X-rays can be used as a sensitive, non-destructive probe for the characterisation of semiconductors. The energy and wavelength of X-rays is such that structural information down to the Ảngstrom level can be yielded with a depth penetration of several microns. As a result X-rays are ideally suited to the study of thin layer semiconductors. Double crystal diffractometry in particular is widely used throughout industry for the characterisation of heteroepitaxial layers. As epitaxial growth techniques become more sophisticated the demand for more detailed structural information becomes even greater. In particular, the trend towards thinner and thinner layers in optoelectronic devices means that conventional characterisation methods are often lacking in sensitivity. This thesis concentrates on the development of new techniques used in the study of ultra thin epitaxial layers. Skew beam paths have been utilised to provide enhanced sensitivity to thin surface layers. By choosing a suitable asymmetric reflection and rotating the sample through the reflection plane normal it is possible to tune the angle of incidence to that required. Experiments performed on a single epilayer yielded a fourfold increase in intensity of the layer diffraction effects compared to a conventional grazing incidence asymmetric reflection. Two layer structures have been characterised using Pendellӧsung fringes. Although a conventional technique it has only recently been realised that errors may result in layer thickness determination due to direct measurement of fringe spacing from the rocking curve. Fourier Analysis has been used to accurately determine layer thickness and the conditions necessary for its use have been fully investigated. By evaluating layer thickness in this fashion the process of matching theoretical rocking curves with those produced in experiment becomes more straight forward and close fits have been achieved. X-ray reflectivity is a well established method sensitive to electron density change, although as yet it has had little application in the study of epitaxial layers. Angular reflectivity using both double and triple crystal diffractometers has been used to characterise thin epilayers, and the relative merits of each are discussed. A technique known as energy dispersive reflectivity has also been investigated and found to be an extremely rapid method of determining layer thickness. Theory describing X-ray reflectivity is discussed and a computer program has been written to model the experimental results.

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No description available.

A statistically based mixture design was used to plan experiments on plasticiser blends in PVC compounds. This work investigates compatibility, the extrusion characteristics at different shear rates and the properties of these compounds. Seventeen different plasticisers, spread over five binary and twelve ternary plasticiser systems, were screened for their compatibility. Standard methods such as the solid-gel transition temperature and the FloryHuggins interaction parameter were used. For the binary blends of different plasticiser families, the interactions correlate with increasing differences of the solid-gel transition temperature of the monomeric plasticisers used. If the blend contains a polymeric plasticiser, the interaction decreases with increasing differences in the solid-gel transition temperature. The mechanistic theory of Doolittle enables the interactions of ternary and higher plasticiser systems by using PVC in compositions of binary ones to be assessed. UNIFAC-FV was used to predict the F1ory-Huggins interaction parameter of single plasticisers and of the ternary plasticiser system DOP-DOA-DOS. For plasticisers under investigation, the same relative order of compatibility ranking was obtained using either the solid-gel transition temperature or UNlF AC-FV. The latter was also applied to predict the Gibbs free energy of mixing for a series of monomeric and polymeric plasticisers. For the various ternary systems, some physical properties such as heptane extraction showed an excellent correlation with the solid-gel transition temperature. For a selection of eight ternary plasticiser systems, the ease of fusion during processing on a Haake Rheometer was evaluated A clear relationship was found between the kneader data at the fusion peak and the solid~gel transition temperature, except for the ODPP and C911P containing systems. These systems showed a good correlation between the kneader data and the solid-gel transition temperature and shear viscosity of the compound or viscosity of the plasticiser. Finally, the extrusion characteristics of five ternary plasticiser mixtures were determined. These characteristics were also found to dependent on the solid-gel transition temperature. In some cases, however, the extrusion characteristics also depended on other variables, such as shear viscosity and bulk density of the compounds used.

By integrating an electrochemical deposition process and a silicon chip manufacturing process, a chemical sensor based on a floating gate field-effect transistor was developed. The sensor was fabricated using the standard 0.35μm CMOS process with minimal post-processing. A pH-sensitive organic polymer was electrochemically deposited on the “pseudo” floating gate extension. This “pseudo” floating gate extension was an external area connected to the floating gate of the testing device. By monitoring the change of the current-voltage characteristics during exposure to the gas phase of the chemical aqueous solution, the sensor was shown to be feasible with a reasonable sensitivity.