Conceptualizations of earth's surficial systems pose challenges to scientists, novice teachers, and students alike, because they are variable, non-linear, and dynamic. Developing scientific models of these systems allow users to visualize, manipulate, reason, and organize knowledge about the system under investigation. This dissertation is focused on two research strands using scientific modeling of surficial earth systems. The first strand is focused on a coastal ecosystem impacted by soil salinization and water availability. This study used topography, soil type, soil conductivity, and plant community to develop a conceptualized toposequence of this region to support our understanding of the dominant source of soil salinity. The second strand is twofold: novice understanding of scientific modeling and conceptual model development. The first study evaluates novice science teachers' approach to scientific modeling of a system which they have no prior knowledge about. Through observations, we assessed their science process skills, compared these results to novices and experts working with the same system, and found that novice teachers perform more like novices when faced with scientific investigations. This research will guide future teacher professional development programs to explicitly focus on science process skills and their role in scientific modeling. The second study characterizes the impact of an inquiry-based learning (IBL) module versus a traditionally structured laboratory exercise. The experimental groups were taught using IBL pedagogical techniques through manipulation of large-scale data sets, multiple representations, and a physical model. The control groups were taught traditionally. The groups were not significantly different prior to exposure to the lesson. Pre/post-expressed conceptual models indicate that the experimental group had greater increases in critical thinking. Written reports indicated they further gained in content knowledge, communication of findings, and experimental design. Overall results showed that teaching though IBL coupled with multiple representations had significant positive influence on student's conceptual model development. This synergistic dissertation between science and science education is a model for those wanting to pursue an academic career in geoscience education. This type of synergy between teaching and research allows for greater achievement in and outside the classroom ultimately improving overall education.

The earliest stage of software development almost always involves converting requirements descriptions written in natural language (NLRs) into initial conceptual models, represented by some formal notation. This stage is time-consuming and demanding, as initial models are often constructed manually, requiring human modellers to have appropriate modelling knowledge and skills. Furthermore, this stage is critical, as errors made in initial models are costly to correct if left undetected until the later stages. Consequently, the need for automated tool support is desirable at this stage. There are many approaches that support the modelling process in the early stages of software development. The majority of approaches employ linguistic-driven analysis to extract essential information from input NLRs in order to create different types of conceptual models. However, the main difficulty to overcome is the ambiguous and incomplete nature of NLRs. Semantic-driven approaches have the potential to address the difficulties of NLRs, however, the current state of the art methods have not been designed to address the incomplete nature of NLRs. This thesis presents a semantic-driven automatic model construction approach which addresses the limitations of current semantic-driven NLR transformation approaches. Central to this approach is a set of primitive conceptual patterns called Semantic Object Models (SOMs), which superimpose a layer of semantics and structure on top of NLRs. These patterns serve as intermediate models to bridge the gap between NLRs and their initial conceptual models. The proposed approach first translates a given NLR into a set of individual SOM instances (SOMi) and then composes them into a knowledge representation network called Semantic Object Network (SON). The proposed approach is embodied in a software tool called TRAM. The validation results show that the proposed semantic-driven approach aids users in creating improved conceptual models. Moreover, practical evaluation of TRAM indicates that the proposed approach performs better than its peers and has the potential for use in real world software development.

There is a growing appreciation for the insight mathematical models can yield on biological systems. In particular, due to the challenges inherent in experimental observation of disease progression, models describing the genesis, growth and evolution of cancer have been developed. Many of these models possess the common feature that one particular type of cellular population initiates a further, distinct population. This thesis explores two models containing this feature, which also employ branching processes to describe population growth. Firstly, we consider a deterministically growing wild type population which seeds stochastically developing mutant clones. This generalises the classic Luria- Delbruck model of bacterial evolution. We focus on how differing wild type growth manifests itself in the distribution of clone sizes. In our main result we prove that for a large class of wild type growth, the long-time limit of the clone size distribution has a general two-parameter form, whose tail decays as a power-law. In the second model, we consider a fully stochastic system of cells in a growing population that can undergo birth, death and transitions. New cellular types appear via transitions, examples of which are genetic mutations or migrations bringing cells into a new environment. We concentrate on the scenario where the original cell type has the largest net growth rate, which is relevant for modelling drug resistance, due to fitness costs of resistance, or cells migrating into contact with a toxin. Two questions are considered in our main results. First, how long do we wait until a cell with a specific target type, an arbitrary number of transitions from the original population, exists. Second, which particular sequence of transitions initiated the target population. In the limit of small final transition rates, simple, explicit formulas are given to answer these questions.

This thesis presents the concept of hybrid semantic-document models to aid information management when using standards for complex technical domains such as military data communication. These standards are traditionally text based documents for human interpretation, but prose sections can often be ambiguous and can lead to discrepancies and subsequent implementation problems. Many organisations produce semantic representations of the material to ensure common understanding and to exploit computer aided development. In developing these semantic representations, no relationship is maintained to the original prose. Maintaining relationships between the original prose and the semantic model has key benefits, including assessing conformance at a semantic level, and enabling original content authors to explicitly define their intentions, thus reducing ambiguity and facilitating computer aided functionality. Through the use of a case study method based on the military standard MIL-STD-6016C, a framework of relationships is proposed. These relationships can integrate with common document modelling techniques and provide the necessary functionality to allow semantic content to be mapped into document views. These relationships are then generalised for applicability to a wider context. Additionally, this framework is coupled with a templating approach which, for repeating sections, can improve consistency and further enhance quality. A reflective approach to model driven web rendering is presented and evaluated. This reflective approach uses self-inspection at runtime to read directly from the model, thus eliminating the need for any generative processes which result in data duplication across source used for different purpose.

There is a continuous demand for new and improved methods of understanding our climate system. The work in this thesis focuses on the study of delayed feedback and critical transitions. There is much room to develop upon these concepts in their application to the climate system. We explore the two concepts independently, but also note that the two are not mutually exclusive. The thesis begins with a review of delay differential equation (DDE) theory and the use of delay models in climate, followed by a review of the literature on critical transitions and examples of critical transitions in climate. We introduce various methods of deriving delay models from more complex systems. Our main results center around the Saltzman and Maasch (1988) model for the Pleistocene climate (`Carbon cycle instability as a cause of the late Pleistocene ice age oscillations: modelling the asymmetric response.' Global biogeochemical cycles, 2(2):177-185, 1988). We observe that the model contains a chain of first-order reactions. Feedback chains of this type limits to a discrete delay for long chains. We can then approximate the chain by a delay, resulting in scalar DDE for ice mass. Through bifurcation analysis under varying the delay, we discover a previously unexplored bistable region and consider solutions in this parameter region when subjected to periodic and astronomical forcing. The astronomical forcing is highly quasiperiodic, containing many overlapping frequencies from variations in the Earth's orbit. We find that under the astronomical forcing, the model exhibits a transition in time that resembles what is seen in paleoclimate records, known as the Mid-Pleistocene Transition. This transition is a distinct feature of the quasiperiodic forcing, as confi rmed by the change in sign of the leading nite-time Lyapunov exponent. Additional results involve a box model of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation under a future climate scenario and time-dependent freshwater forcing. We find that the model exhibits multiple types of critical transitions, as well as recovery from potential critical transitions. We conclude with an outlook on how the work presented in this thesis can be utilised for further studies of the climate system and beyond.

The aim of this paper was to find out the specifics of nursing care in clinical and community practice in Roma minority. Furthermore, to find out which of these specifics are missing in the J. N. Giger and R. E. Davidhizar nursing model and modify the nursing documentation based on this conceptual model accordingly. A combination of qualitative and quantitative research was used to achieve the set goals. The whole research was carried out within the framework of the team research project of GAJU No. 048/2015/S. Within the qualitative survey, 8 interviews with members of the Roma minority were carried out to verify the context of individual areas of the conceptual model. Furthermore, the focus group technique was used with nurses from clinical and community practice to verify the use of modified nursing documentation. The quantitative research used a non-standardised questionnaire based on the conceptual model areas for 600 respondents from the Roma minority. The research carried out has shown that health is one of the highest values in life for Roma people. Although health comes first, their way of life does not match this finding. This mainly concerns the area of substance abuse and disease prevention. Health care is influenced by their education. The more educated the individual is, the more they visit a doctor, they keep the treatment regimen and more generally they look after their health. The Roma minority is a relatively closed group of inhabitants, which to this day is difficult to assimilate into the majority society. Nevertheless, there is a gradual loss of some specific features. Above all, it is the loss of knowledge of the Roma language or the failure to observe some traditional Roma customs and traditions. This is mainly influenced by the social environment of the individual. All information obtained is clearly presented in the proposed documentation according to the Model of thoughtful and adapted care. Using this model provides us with a comprehensive assessment of the individual and the ability to better plan nursing care according to the needs of each individual.

This thesis consists of a series of internationally published, peer reviewed, conference research papers and one journal paper. The papers evaluate and further develop two modelling methods for use in Information Technology (IT) design and for the educational and training needs of students within the area of computer and network technology. The IT age requires technical talent to fill positions such as network managers, web administrators, e-commerce consultants and network security experts as IT is changing rapidly, and this is placing considerable demands on higher educational institutions, both within Australia and internationally, to respond to these changes.

The simulation world defines conceptual modeling as a tool that provides a clear understanding of the target domain or problem. Although there are some approaches offering useful insights on conceptual modeling in the simulation development lifecycle, they do not provide adequate guidance on how to develop a conceptual model. This thesis study presents a framework for developing conceptual models for simulation systems that is based on the idea that the modelers will develop conceptual models more effectively by following a defined conceptual modeling method, using a domain specific notation and a tool. The conceptual model development method is defined in a step-by-step manner and explanations about the notation and tool are provided when required. A multiple-case study involving two cases is conducted in order to evaluate the applicability of the method for conceptual modeling and validate the expected benefits.

Caves, the cornerstone feature of karst aquifers, are little understood in Florida. This dissertation, which analyzes the morphology, elevation, lithologic setting, and hydrology of caves in west-central Florida, demonstrates that the karst of the unconfined Floridan aquifer differs from the paradigm view of karst presented in modern geology textbooks. The differences reflect setting: eogenetic (west-central Florida) vs. telogenetic (conventional). Interpretations about the architecture of cavernous porosity in this dissertation come from detailed surveys (497 stations) of seven air-filled caves.The surveys reveal that solution cavities within the unconfined Floridan aquifer align along NE-SW and NW-SE fractures. The surveys further identify tabular zones of cavernous porosity that extend for tens of meters. Characteristic "plus-sign" passages occur at the intersection of solution-enlarged fractures and the tabular horizons. The caves, as surveyed, do not connect points of discrete aquifer input to springs. Rather, they are separated by intact bocks of aquifer matrix, ever- narrowing fissures, sediment fills, and breakdown. With an additional 574 spot elevations from 63 previously surveyed air-filled and submerged caves and 526 foot-length cavities encountered in 26 drilled wells, the assembled data reveal that cave passages above and below the watertable of the unconfined Floridan aquifer cluster at similar elevations throughout west-central Florida. At the largest scale, the levels of cavities cut across geologic structure, thus suggesting a water-table origin. The close linkage of the water table and sea level this coastal setting suggests the levels reflect positions of paleosea level. Given that the air-filled caves in west-central Florida reflect higher sea levels,the coastline would have been close when the air-filled caves formed. The levels organize according to a sea-level datum at elevations of 30 m, 20-22 m, 12-15 m,and 3-5 m. The levels are similar in elevation to nearby terraces evident in GIS and LIDAR topographic data. The terraces correspond to the classic, Quaternary marine terraces of the coastal plain of the southeastern U.S.A. Given that the now-submerged caves reflect lower sea levels, the coastline was far from the caves when they formed. They organize according to a watertable datum at depths of 15 m, 30-40 m, 60-70 m, and > 100 m with some correspondence to marine terrace and paleoshoreline features identified on the sea floor of the west florida shelf using GIS and multibeam bathymetry. The multigenerational origin of these deeper caves masks the correspondence. Although past water tables are seen to be the first-order control of cave passages regionally, lithology appears to play a significant role at the scale of an individual cave. Approximately 2,000 measurements of matrix permeability from more than 228 m of continuous core from the unconfined Floridan aquifer of west-central Florida reveal a wide-ranging facies-dependent matrix permeability[log k(m2)= -12.9 +/- 1.6, total range]. Solution passages tend to be wider where the matrix permeability is greater. Time-series analysis on measurements of spring discharge from 31 springs and published time series from 28 additional sites reveal key differences between eogenetic and telogenetic karst aquifers, reflecting the difference in matrix permeability of the eogenetic [log k(m2) from -14 to -11] and telogenetic[log k(m2) from -15 to -20] limestones. For instance, log Q/Qmin flow-duration curves have greater slopes at eogenetic karst springs, a manifestation of lowerratios between the maximum and mean discharge (Qmax/Qmean). Additionally,aquifer inertia as defined on auto correlograms is greater in eogenetic karst than telogenetic karst.Hydrographs of spring flow and water level vary on a seasonal or longertime scale. The localized, convective-style storm events typical of the Florida summer rainy season are not realized as individual peaks in these hydrographs.Apparently, large, widespread, storm events, such as hurricanes in the late summer and fall and frontal systems in the winter and spring, are necessary to produce significant changes in storage. Data from nine pressure transducers in caves and in the aquifer matrix across the unconfined Floridan aquifer all record immediate increases in the water level due to Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in September of 2004. The increases are simultaneous over large regions. These changes do not propagate through the aquifer as a pulse like the classic scenario of conduit flow in telogenetic karst aquifers.

The issue of cross-cultural nursing is currently a hot topic, because the tourism, migration, etc. grow due to the borders opening. The professionals working as paramedical staff are required to provide effective and high-quality nursing care to all people, without exception. But who considers the fact that the caring professionals can be a different culture, religion or nationality? The presented diploma thesis is devoted to nurses belonging to minority groups, and it is aimed to the problem of communication between the patient and the nurse belonging to a minority group. Specifically, this is about foreign-born nurses, nurses of different religions, same-sex orientation and nurses with physical disabilities. The theoretical basis on which the thesis relies, is primarily a conceptual model of nursing of the Rising Sun by Madeleine Leininger in interaction with the model of culturally considerate care by J. N. Giger and R. E. Davidhizar. In the theoretical part, the concepts relating to the cross-cultural nursing and issues relating to minority groups in the Czech Republic are defined. The preliminary descriptive empirical matter of the thesis was to find out what problems do nurses belonging to minority groups have in relation to the profession of nurses. Research sample is made up of 16 nurses belonging to minority groups, including nurses with different sexual orientation, physically disabled nurses, nurses with ethnic differences and the nurses of different religions. For the empirical part of the thesis, the qualitative approach was selected as a research design, since, according to Strauss and Corbin (1999), this option is appropriate in situations in which the researcher seeks to uncover the experience with a certain phenomenon. The introduction of the research investigation was a pilot study, which used the case study technique for data capture, specifically, the method of the life stories of nurses with cultural, religious, sexual or health differences. For the selection of the respondents there was the snowball method used, as we live in an area where there is difficult to reach these people. A pilot study was a base for the research investigation undertaken by using semi-structured interviews with patients, doctors and nurses in charge of the hospital. The results obtained in this survey were compared with the results of a pilot study. The main research objective of the pilot study was defined due to the research problem, to explore the issues of communication within the nursing care between the patient and the nurse belonging to a minority group. Following this target, the main research question was established: What problems do the nurses belonging to a minority group have to face in nursing practice? Then it is followed up with next research question: What difficulties do the nurses belonging to a minority group find in communication with a patient? The results of the pilot study are divided into 4 groups according to the above division, which means the nurses with different nationality, religion, with a different sexual orientation and handicapped nurses. In each group the areas of contact and interaction at the workplace were monitored, it means cooperation with colleagues, and the fact of the contact with patients from the perspective of the nurses and their personal subjective satisfaction of the communication held within the nursing profession. Subsequently, in the context of the pilot study, the occurrence of features typical only for certain groups of nurses was found out. From this point of view, for a group of nurses of foreign nationalities, the results included communication barriers associated with another native language than Czech. The research sample of disabled nurses expands the results for specific care procedures that may be a barrier due to their health-related handicaps. The nurses describe their physical difference and its circumstances.