The objective of this thesis is to design and implement a rapid, reconfigurable and portable reader for wirelessly interrogating inductively coupled passive sensors. While the current method of impedance analyzer is sensitive and an accurate, the instruments used are bulky and slow, substantially hampering in-field testing and interrogation of sensors. Current methods cannot provide a quantifiable measure on minimum necessary read-speeds and instrument accuracy desirable for rapid sensing applications. This work summarizes the design and hardware implementation of two reader methods that address the aforementioned requirements. Both reader methods are based on a reflectometer approach: Swept-frequency Reflectometer Reader and Switched-frequency Interrogation Technique (SWIFT). The first method is a much faster alternative to in-lab and in-field testing for structural health monitoring, and is intended as an immediate replacement for the impedance analyzer method. Switched-frequency Interrogation is specifically designed to satisfy the need for rapid and accurate reading, potentially for in-motion sensing applications. This method provides a way of empirically relating minimum necessary read-time required for desired read-ranges. It also facilitates quantification of uncertainty in measurements, which is very critical in determining instrument accuracy in-field. The system design and implementation of both methods are described in detail and experimental results are presented to benchmark the performance of the readers. Issues of instrument reliability and practical limitations are also discussed, with potential solutions. Both methods are intended as universal techniques for wirelessly interrogating coupled passive sensors, not limited to their current form of implementation. / text

The question of the appropriateness and effectiveness of students' personal writing is a longstanding one in the academy. In composition studies, the ideological fight over personal and academic writing is most often represented by the oft-studied but rarely changed Bartholomae/Elbow debate. In literary studies, reader-response critics in particular have wrestled with the problems and possibilities of subjective interpretation. Yet despite scholastic interest in issues of personal writing, discussions have remained primarily theoretical and have relied mainly on anecdotal evidence. While small-scale case studies valuably illuminate the processes of an individual student or two, the conversation would be profoundly bolstered by empirical data. How common are personal responses, really? Further, while many believe that any presence of first-person pronouns signals personal, subjective writing, anecdotal cases suggest that there are several categories of personal writing, and that these different types of expressivism produce a range of rhetorical effects. The current study attempts to name and refine these categories--using the distinctions of General claim, Writer-based prose, Personal experience, and Personal claim—to begin to fill in this empirical gap. Is it a mistake to lump all use of personal reference into the category of "personal writing"? Would helping students distinguish between these varying types of personal references inform their stylistic and rhetorical choices? By reviewing a sample of 30 short papers written by college students in a general requirement literature survey course, I will examine how frequently--and in what ways--students reference themselves when responding in writing to a work of literature. / text

The purpose of this research study was to explore the possibilities of using children's and adolescent literature with lower-level students of Spanish. The study investigated second-semester students' perceptions of their experiences reading children's and adolescent literature in Spanish and the relevance of reading this literature on their acquisition of Spanish and their understanding and appreciation of Latino culture. Seventy-eight students enrolled in three second-semester Spanish courses in a large Southwestern university read two children's books in Spanish as part of the course curriculum; sixty-eight of these students agreed to participate in the research study. Quantitative data concerning students' periodic self-ratings of their communicative abilities in Spanish were collected via questionnaires. Qualitative data concerning students' perceptions of their experiences reading the children's books were collected through journal entries, surveys, focus-group interviews, and compositions. Students indicated that their communicative skills in Spanish increased throughout the course of the semester. Students in Classes #1 and #2 believed that their reading abilities in Spanish increased from novice-mid to novice-high. Students in Class #3, however, concluded that their reading abilities in Spanish increased from novice-mid to the intermediate-low. Students affirmed that reading the children's books helped them see Spanish vocabulary and grammar in context and reinforced the vocabulary items and grammatical features of Spanish they previously learned in the course textbook. Many students indicated that reading and discussing the children's books contributed to the development of their reading ability as well as other communicative abilities in Spanish. Students' opinions varied concerning the extent to which curricular engagements supported or impeded their comprehension of the children's books. Additionally, students asserted that the children's books contributed to their understanding and appreciation of Latino culture and that the books supported the development of their intercultural competence. A number of research and pedagogical implications of the study are included along with avenues for further research.

Magistro darbo tyrimo objektas – Sigito Parulskio, Gintaro Beresnevičiaus, Giedros Radvilavičiūtės, Regimanto Tamošaičio eseistika, kuri analizuojama kaip asmeninė esė. Nagrinėjami šie minėtų autorių esė rinkiniai: „Nuogi drabužiai“ (2002), „Miegas ir kitos moterys“ (2005), „Vilkų saulutė“ (2003), „Suplanuotos akimirkos“ (2004), „Vitaminų pardavėjas“ (2007). Darbo tikslas – analizuoti Parulskio, Beresnevičiaus, Radvilavičiūtės, Tamošaičio eseistiką kaip asmeninę esė, atskleidžiant šios esė estetikos ir poetikos ypatybes, eseistų individualumą. Uždaviniai: 1) Pateikti asmeninės esė teorines apibrėžtis, nurodant jų ribas ir problemas; 2) Identifikuoti asmeninės esė autoriaus mąstymo bei raiškos ypatybes; 3) Nagrinėti lietuvių autorių esė būdingas poetines priemones ir estetines pozicijas; 4) Palyginti skirtingų autorių eseistikos savybes, jų panašumus ir skirtumus; 5) Nustatyti asmeninės esė skaitytojo tipus, jų sąryšį su autoriaus institucija ir tekstu; 7) Atskleisti adresato „lūkesčių horizontą“ ir jo reikšmę skaitomų tekstų suvokimui ir interpretavimui. Tyrimo metodologija – komparatyvistikos teorija, Billo Roorbacho „asmeninės esė“, Umberto Eco „atviro kūrinio“ bei „pavyzdinio skaitytojo“ ir „empirinio skaitytojo“, Hanso Roberto Jausso „lūkesčių horizonto“ koncepcijos. Kadangi asmeninė esė dar nėra kanonizuota, pasitelkiamos ir Phillipo Lopate’o bei Michailo Epsteino įžvalgos apie asmeninės esė meną. Tyrimas atskleidė, kad tarp asmeninės esė ir „atviro“... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The object of the Master’s degree work is essays of Sigitas Parulskis, Gintaras Beresnevičius, Giedra Radvilavičiūtė, Regimantas Tamošaitis, which are analysed as personal essays. The following collections of the mentioned authors are analysed: „Nuogi drabužiai“ (2002), „Miegas ir kitos moterys“ (2005), „Vilkų saulutė“ (2003), „Suplanuotos akimirkos“ (2004), „Vitaminų pardavėjas“ (2007). The aim of the Work is to analyse essays of Parulskis, Beresnevičius, Radvilavičiūtė, Tamošaitis as personal essays, revealing peculiarities of these essays and poetry, individuality of essayists. Tasks: 1) to present theoretical concepts of the personal essay, by defining their limits and problems; 2) to identify peculiarities of thinking and expression of the personal essay author; 3) to analyse poetic aids and aesthetical positions, characteristic to essays of Lithuanian authors; 4) to compare peculiarities of essays of different authors, their similarities and differences; 5) to define types of personal essay readers, their links with institution of the author and the text; 7) to reveal the “horizon of expectation” of the addressee and its effect on perception and interpretation of the read texts. Methodology of the Research – theory of comparativistics, conceptions of “personal essay” by Bill Roorbach, “open creation” and “the model reader” by Umberto Eco, “horizon of expectations” by Hans Robert Jauss. As far as the personal essay has not been canonised, insights about art of personal... [to full text]

This study examines booktalk, that is, teacher-led group discussions about books for children in a Swedish school. The empirical data comprise 24 hours of videorecorded booktalk in grades 4–7. In total, 40 children (aged 10–14 years) were recorded during 24 sessions. The present approach diverges from previous readerresponse studies in that it draws on authentic data, and in that it examines talk at a micro level, applying an approach from discursive psychology. By focusing on authentic book discussions, the study contributes to the development of readerresponse methods. All eight books applied in the booktalk sessions involved some type of  existential issue: freedom, separation, loyalty, and mortal danger (Chapter 4). Yet, such issues were rarely discussed. An important task of the present thesis was to understand why such issues did not materialise, that is, what did not take place. In Chapter 5, a series of booktalk dilemmas were identified. The booktalk sessions were generally lively and informal. Yet, booktalk as such was often transformed into other local educational projects; e.g. time scheduling, vocabulary lessons or reading aloud exercises. Gender was invoked in all booktalk sessions (Chapter 6). In line with predictions from reader-response theory, progressive texts were, at times, discussed in gender stereotypical ways. The findings also revealed a generational pattern in that the pupils discussed fictive children in less traditional ways than adult characters. The interface between texts and life was invoked in all booktalk sessions (Chapter 7). There was, again, a generational pattern in that children entertained ideas other than those of their teachers concerning legitimate topics in a school context. Also, the discussions revealed a problem of balance between pupils’ privacy, on the one hand, and engaging discussions on texts and life, on the other.

許多讀者時常透過閱讀旅遊敘事來認識異地，無論是敘事中的文字或圖片，皆能為讀者建構異地風貌並藉此延伸出許多關於該地的認知與想像。據此，本研究旨在探究讀者在閱讀旅行敘事過程中，對於旅行圖文敘事因何產生想像，是否有特定因素會勾起讀者的想像開關，圖文敘事因何使讀者產生想像。 研究發現，讀者閱讀旅行敘事時，對於具有當地特殊文化背景的物品、人物的故事、動作與對話、歷史背景等特別能夠勾起讀者的想像。文字敘事可利用關於細節的描述、感官、形容詞、生命經驗、故事等喚起想像。此外，非本國文字的使用也可使讀者延伸想像。圖片在旅行敘事中的功能多在印證與具體化，且可能限制讀者想像。 讀者所生成的想像內涵中可發現，閱讀旅行圖文敘事能夠使讀者產生關於空間、修補外在客觀形式、情感、聯想、生命經驗、記憶以及五感聯想中的視覺聯想等。而其他時間、因果、對比、創造新形象以及五感聯想中的聽覺與嗅覺皆少有想像。 / Many readers access to foreign place by reading travel narratives and pictures. While reading travel narratives, many imaginations and affection come out from their mind. This study aims to explore the imagination of reader on travel narratives and pictures. If there is any element in narratives and pictures can arouse reader’s imagination, and what those elements are. The study shows that when reader found something is unfamiliar with, people’s conversation and story, and the history can arose imaginations. The descriptions, adjectives, life story and experience in narratives do help to arose imagination. In addition, foreign characters also make readers think further. However, pictures in travel narratives limit the imaginations, it makes readers stop imagining. Most of imaginations are about the space, fix objective forms, affection, life story, experience, and visual association. Less do people think of time, causality, contrast, making new image, hearing association and olfactory association.

The Batman media franchise (comics, movies, novels, television, and cartoons) is unique because no other form of written or visual texts has as many artists, audiences, and forms of expression. Understanding the various artists and audiences and what Batman means to them is to understand changing trends and thinking in American culture. The character of Batman has developed into a symbol with relevant characteristics that develop and evolve with each new story and new author. The Batman canon has become so large and contains so many different audiences that it has become a franchise that can morph to fit any group of viewers/readers. Our understanding of Batman and the many readings of him gives us insight into ourselves as a culture in our particular place in history.

This thesis examines the violent punishments undergone by various martyrs in Prudentius’ Peristephanon. In particular, it explores how the poet’s depiction of this violence and suffering might affect readers of the collection. Four poems (poems II, III, IX and XI) are studied from the point of view of the emotions they are likely to evoke in the reader. The question of whether different types of readers might undergo different emotional experiences while reading these poems arises as a result of the proposed study. The first chapter of this thesis thus examines the nature of emotions, focussing on their sources and composition. This examination suggests that an individual’s emotional experience can be influenced both by biological factors and by social and cultural environment. With this in mind, an examination follows of various aspects of Roman society and culture which were likely to influence the ways in which its citizens, in particular, reacted to the violent scenes in the poems. We will also consider how our own specific cultural milieu may influence modern readers to sometimes react differently to Roman readers. In particular, it is proposed that most readers of the Peristephanon will react with varying shades of disgust and horror. These two emotions are thus used as a framework for discussing reader reactions to the poems. Disgust and horror are understood in a very broad sense, allowing for different varieties of these emotions, which at times even give rise to contradiction and paradox. The remaining chapters of the thesis are devoted to examinations of the four chosen poems which explore the various ways in which they might evoke horror and disgust among both Roman and modern readers. Often, there is considerable overlap between these two groups. These examinations provide a way of understanding why these poems are so striking, and have impacted so strongly on readers through the ages. / Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 2009

This thesis examines the violent punishments undergone by various martyrs in Prudentius’ Peristephanon. In particular, it explores how the poet’s depiction of this violence and suffering might affect readers of the collection. Four poems (poems II, III, IX and XI) are studied from the point of view of the emotions they are likely to evoke in the reader. The question of whether different types of readers might undergo different emotional experiences while reading these poems arises as a result of the proposed study. The first chapter of this thesis thus examines the nature of emotions, focussing on their sources and composition. This examination suggests that an individual’s emotional experience can be influenced both by biological factors and by social and cultural environment. With this in mind, an examination follows of various aspects of Roman society and culture which were likely to influence the ways in which its citizens, in particular, reacted to the violent scenes in the poems. We will also consider how our own specific cultural milieu may influence modern readers to sometimes react differently to Roman readers. In particular, it is proposed that most readers of the Peristephanon will react with varying shades of disgust and horror. These two emotions are thus used as a framework for discussing reader reactions to the poems. Disgust and horror are understood in a very broad sense, allowing for different varieties of these emotions, which at times even give rise to contradiction and paradox. The remaining chapters of the thesis are devoted to examinations of the four chosen poems which explore the various ways in which they might evoke horror and disgust among both Roman and modern readers. Often, there is considerable overlap between these two groups. These examinations provide a way of understanding why these poems are so striking, and have impacted so strongly on readers through the ages. / Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Humanities, 2009

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