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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
601

Perceived Submaximal Leg Extension Forces of Young Adult Males

Ludke, Andrew William 08 1900 (has links)
The purpose was to examine actual force (AF) productions of males for accuracy during leg extensions when given a random desired force (DF) ranging from 10-90% of maximal force (MF). Thirty males ranging from 18 to 30 years of age (M = 21.99 + 3.04), who had no previous experience with the test equipment, went through 9 randomly ordered submaximal efforts followed by a maximal effort. Correlations between AF and DF were high (r > .79) and test-retest was consistent between AF (r = .87) and MF (r = .90). Participants consistently undershot DF on both test and retest from 20-90% and overshot DF only at 10%. Power functions revealed exponents of less than 1, indicating that AF grows slower then DF for both test .70 (.95 CI = .63 - .77) and retest .66 (.95 CI = .60 - .73). The results replicate a prior study by Jackson, Martin, Koziris, Ludtke, and Dishman (2001) that used incremental rather than random increases in DF.
602

Learning in later life : using life biography to investigate the inter-relationship of learning and life course capital

Taylor, Louise Marion January 2013 (has links)
Current demographics within the United Kingdom present a challenging picture, with older people forming a considerable proportion of the population. In particular, older people are spending a longer period outside paid work at a point in the life course constructed as retirement. Increasingly, some older adults are returning to learning as a means of remaining socially connected, keeping active and purely for pleasure. Research which seeks to understand the relevance and importance of learning in later life remains quite disparate and, in addition, there is a lack of longitudinal or biographical research which seeks to explore this phenomenon. The research reported in this thesis aims to offer new insights into later-life learning by exploring how retired older people narrate their experiences of learning, and through consideration of the interrelationship this experience to life course capital.
603

Canonical extensions of bounded lattices and natural duality for default bilattices

Craig, Andrew Philip Knott January 2012 (has links)
This thesis presents results concerning canonical extensions of bounded lattices and natural dualities for quasivarieties of default bilattices. Part I is dedicated to canonical extensions, while Part II focuses on natural duality for default bilattices. A canonical extension of a lattice-based algebra consists of a completion of the underlying lattice and extensions of the additional operations to the completion. Canonical extensions find rich application in providing an algebraic method for obtaining relational semantics for non-classical logics. Part I gives a new construction of the canonical extension of a bounded lattice. The construction is done via successive applications of functors and thus provides an elegant exposition of the fact that the canonical extension is functorial. Many existing constructions are described via representation and duality theorems. We demonstrate precisely how our new formulation relates to existing constructions as well as proving new results about complete lattices constructed from graphs. Part I ends with an analysis of the untopologised structures used in two methods of construction of canonical extensions of bounded lattices: the untopologised graphs used in our new construction, and the so-called `intermediate structure'. We provide sufficient conditions for the intermediate structure to be a lattice and, for the case of finite lattices, identify when the dual graph is not a minimal representation of the lattice. Part II applies techniques from natural duality theory to obtain dualities for quasivarieties of bilattices used in default logic. Bilattices are doubly-ordered algebraic structures which find application in reasoning about inconsistent and incomplete information. This account is the first attempt to provide dualities or representations when there is little interaction required between the two orders. Our investigations begin by using computer programs to calculate dualities for specific examples, before using purely theoretical techniques to obtain dualities for more general cases. The results obtained are extremely revealing, demonstrating how one of the lattice orders from the original algebra is encoded in the dual structure. We conclude Part II by describing a new class of default bilattices. These provide an alternative way of interpreting contradictory information. We obtain dualities for two newly-described quasivarieties and provide insights into how these dual structures relate to previously described classes of dual structures for bilattices.
604

Structural and Kinematic Evolution of the Lower Crust

Betka, Paul 11 September 2008 (has links)
Abstract Three dimensional finite strain and kinematic data from the Resolution Island Shear Zone, Fiordland, New Zealand record the progressive evolution of a lower crustal metamorphic core complex. The Resolution Island Shear Zone is a mid-Cretaceous (~114-90 Ma) extensional shear zone that juxtaposes high-pressure (P~17-19 kbar) garnet-granulite and eclogite facies orthogneiss from the lower crust against mid-crustal (P~6-8 kbar) orthogneiss and paragneiss along a low-angle upper amphibolite facies ductile normal fault. In the lower plate of the Resolution Island Shear Zone the high-pressure garnetgranulite and eclogite facies gneissic foliations (S1) are attenuated by granulite facies extensional shear zone foliations (S2). Retrograde metamorphism marked by the breakdown of omphacite and garnet to amphibole and feldspar in S2 foliation records the unloading of the lower plate during extension. Continued extension localized strain into weaker amphibole and feldspar-bearing lithologies. Upper amphibolite facies shear zones anastomose around rigid lenses that preserve the S1 and S2 fabric. Upper amphibolite facies shear zone fabrics (S3/L3) that envelop these pods display a regional-scale domeand- basin pattern. These shear zones coalesce and form the Resolution Island Shear Zone. Coeval with the formation of the Resolution Island Shear Zone, a conjugate, southwest dipping, and lesser magnitude shear zone termed the Wet Jacket Shear Zone developed in the upper plate of the Resolution Island Shear Zone. Three-dimensional strain analyses from S3/L3 fabric in the Resolution Island Shear Zone show prolate-shaped strain ellipsoids. Stretching axes (X) from measured finite strain ellipsoids trend northeast and southwest and are subparallel to L3 mineral stretching lineations. Shortening axes (Y, Z) are subhorizontal and subvertical, respectively, and rotate through the YZ plane of the finite strain ellipsoid. This pattern reflects the dome-and-basin geometry displayed by anastomosing S3 foliations and indicates the Resolution Island Shear Zone developed in the field of constriction. Threedimensional kinematic results indicate a coaxial-dominated rotation of stretching lineations toward the X-axis in both the XZ and XY planes of the finite strain ellipsoid. Results suggest that a lower crustal metamorphic core complex developed in a constrictional strain field with components of coaxial-dominated subvertical and subhorizontal shortening. Mid-Cretaceous (~114-90 Ma) extensional structures exposed in Fiordland, including the Resolution Island, Wet Jacket, Mount Irene and Doubtful Sound shear zones and the Paparoa metamorphic core complex allows the reconstruction of a crustal column that describes the geometry of mid-Cretaceous continental rifting of Gondwana. The overall symmetry of crustal-scale structures during continental extension suggests kinematic links between flow in the lower crust and the geometry and mode of continental extension. This result is consistent with numerical models of lithospheric rifting that predict the lower crust has a primary control on the style of continental extension.
605

Perceptions of UVM Extension Children, Youth and Families at Risk Professionals as a Learning Organization

Rowe, Sarah Ellen 30 November 2007 (has links)
Children, Youth and Families at Risk (CYFAR) is a national program developed by Cooperative Extension’s federal partner, Cooperative State, Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES). In collaboration with its federal partner and in concert with state extension systems across the nation, UVM Extension conducted an organizational change survey in 1998, 2000, and 2004 with a selected sample of UVM Extension professionals to determine the organization’s capacity to address issues of CYFAR. Findings from these three surveys showed that Extension had not substantively altered its organizational practices in alignment with the goals of the national program. In order to stimulate new strategic planning for the program, this study set about to assess the capacity of staff from UVM Extension to promote organizational learning. Grounded in the literature of organizational learning, this study administered a 43 item survey instrument called the Dimension of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) to Extension employees. As a strategic planning tool, the survey identifies organizational learning opportunities at the individual, team, and organizational level. Following the Total Design Method, the web-based survey was launched September 2006, with a response rate of 68% (n=63). Findings from the new survey continue to indicate limited organizational capacity to meet national goals for CYFAR program. Interestingly, nearly 70% of survey respondents reported participation in programming for children, youth and families at risk, a percentage greater than those formally assigned to CYFAR activities. Regardless of formal assignment, however, CYFAR employees and non-CYFAR employees did not significantly differ in their survey responses across a variety of organizational measures. Prior training to develop organizational capacity in line with national goals appears to be falling short of expectations. Implications for these shortcomings are discussed and used to frame an action plan for development of this program.
606

Longitudinal extension of primary afferents is regulated by spingosine 1-phosphate receptors and tyrosine kinase receptor B in the embryonic spinal cord via a brain derived neurotrophic factor related mechanism

McNamara, Michelle 01 January 2015 (has links)
Primary sensory afferent outgrowth within the developing longitudinal pathway of the spinal cord is important for intrasegmental and intersegmental communication that underlies coordination and development of reflexes and contributes to sensory perception. The endogenous mechanisms that regulate primary sensory afferent extension are the primary focus of this dissertation. This dissertation tested the hypothesis that primary sensory afferent extension in the longitudinal pathway is regulated by sphingosine 1-phosphate type 1 receptor (S1P1R) and tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB) through a brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) related mechanism. To test this hypothesis we used embryonic day five (E5) chicken embryos, as this is the developmental time point when sensory afferents are growing along the longitudinal axis of the spinal cord but have not yet turned ventrally to make connections with the grey matter of the spinal cord. Chicken embryos were removed from their in ovo environment to allow for labeling of primary afferent neurons in the thoracic 3/4 (T3/4) dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Tissue was then put into culture with or without various pharmacological agents and subsequently assayed for length of growth of the labeled primary afferent axons along the longitudinal axis of the spinal cord. Results showed both BDNF and fingolimod-p, an S1P1R agonist known to increase BDNF mRNA and protein production/secretion in cortical neurons, increased primary axon extension along the longitudinal pathway. Further, fingolimod-p increased BDNF mRNA production in DRG in this system. Conversely, inhibition of BDNF or S1PRs attenuated primary afferent axon extension along the longitudinal pathway. We found BDNF signaling to be required for fingolimod-p's effects as addition of αBDNF attenuated the effects of fingolimod-p on axon outgrowth. TrkB, the high affinity receptor for BDNF, is expressed in chicken DRG during embryonic development. We hypothesized that TrkB activation by BDNF regulates DRG axon extension in the longitudinal pathway through the PLC-γ signaling pathway. We found inhibition of TrkB and/or PLC-γ signaling pathway attenuated DRG axon extension with or without BDNF stimulation. Additional pathways associated with TrkB activation: mitogen activated kinase (MAPK) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) appeared to either have no effect on DRG axon extension or were involved in DRG axon extension through a mechanism that is not related to TrkB. Collectively, these studies suggest an endogenous mechanism for the regulation of DRG axon outgrowth within the longitudinal pathway. With this mechanism, DRG axon outgrowth may be enhanced or attenuated following manipulation of S1P1R, BDNF and/or TrkB. Further, these findings suggest an action through BDNF on CNS axons as a potential therapeutic effect of fingolimod-p, a treatment for relapsing remitting forms of Multiple Sclerosis
607

4d Strain Path Recorded In The Lower Crust During The Transition From Convergence To Continental Rifting, Doubtful Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand

Ingram, Michael 01 January 2017 (has links)
ABSTRACT Doubtful Sound, in SW New Zealand, exposes an exhumed section of lower crust that represents the root of an Early Cretaceous magmatic arc. Here, the lower crust underwent a change from contraction to extension and these tectonic cycles are fundamental to the growth of continental crust. Mafic-intermediate granulite gneisses occur below the extensional Doubtful Sound shear zone (DSSZ) which records the retrogression and transposition of granulite fabrics at the upper amphibolite facies. I compared 3D rock fabrics, microstructures and textures within and below the DSSZ to determine the processes involved in the shift from contraction to extension and to infer the sequential processes of transforming L>S granulites to L=S amphibolites. Below the DSSZ, dehydration zones around felsic veins and leucosome in migmatitic orthogneiss record granulite facies metamorphism. Aggregates of clinopyroxene (cpx) and orthopyroxene (opx) that are rimmed by garnet (grt) and interstitial melt are set in a plagioclase (pl) matrix. Peritectic grt, pl-grt symplectites, beads of pl along grain boundaries, and elongate, inclusion-free pl reflect the anatexis. Pl exhibits a crystal preferred orientation (CPO) and evidence of subgrain rotational recrystallization and grain boundary migration, indicating subsolidus deformation outlasted melting. Mafic aggregates are boudinaged and opx developed subgrains. During peak metamorphism high strain was partitioned to locations enriched in melt, producing L>S fabrics and an upward trajectory in the strain path. A comparison of mineral grain shapes indicates that pl accommodated most of the strain. Granulite-amphibolite transitional rocks inside the DSSZ record a heterogeneous retrogression of the granulites to a polyphase metamorphic assemblage of hornblende (hbl), biotite (bt), and fine pl. Also preserved is the resetting of high strain L>S granulite to low strain, L=S amphibolite. Folia of porphyroblastic hbl + bt progressively penetrate the pl matrix via solution mass transfer. Porphyroblastic pl in the rock matrix becomes increasingly transposed to gneissic layering. A path of decreasing gradient from high strain L>S granulite to low strain L=S amphibolite reflects the development of the DSSZ fabric, growth of new minerals and onset to deformation at the amphibolite facies. Inside the DSSZ, amphibolites show an increasing strain gradient from low strain L=S amphibolite to high strain L=S amphibolite. Pl aggregates lack a CPO and are mostly annealed but preserve grain boundary migration microstructures. Hbl is recrystallized and forms asymmetric fish. Evidence of high fluid activity and reaction softening within the DSSZ include increased hbl + bt and bt beards on pl relative to rocks outside the DSSZ. My observations suggest that magma, heat, and melting initially weakened the lower crust, facilitating the development of high strain zones with L>S fabrics. Partially molten regions deformed by suprasolidus flow and solid portions deformed mostly by dislocation creep in pl and boudinage of cpx + opx. Later, the lower crust was weakened and high strain fabrics were reset from overprinting and transposition as retrogression progressed and low strain L=S fabrics formed. During extension there was an upward trajectory in the strain path to high strain L=S fabrics within the DSSZ, where hbl and bt accommodated more strain. My results illustrate the importance of 1) melting, cooling, and hydration in controlling strain partitioning and the rheological evolution of lower crustal shear zones, and 2) the importance of integrating microstructural and fabric analysis to determine strain paths.
608

Heritage in Britain : lifelong learning, archaeology and partnerships

Spendlove, Marion January 2003 (has links)
The thesis investigates whether contemporary policy and practice support formal and informal learning in the field of archaeology. Also, the assumption that multi-sector partnerships broaden community participation in heritage activities is interrogated. The multi-method comparative research model applied both empirical and qualitative methods to three case studies in the Midlands of Britain. Each of these projects gained funding to exhibit archaeology to the public during the course of the research. The policies and practices of the key individuals in the partnerships were investigated through taped interviews, and the data was analysed using cognitive mapping (Tolman, 1948, Buzan, 1993). Data about the visitors were gathered through questionnaire surveys, taped oral accounts, and observational studies. The interests, concerns and agenda of the principle stakeholders were compared. The results indicated that the role of the volunteers was crucial to the success and sustainability of the projects. However, some volunteers felt that they were weaker partners, and this was linked to a distinction between amateurs and professionals. The power of local authorities in heritage partnerships and their conflicting roles as developers and guardians of the archaeological heritage are questioned. Ways to facilitate participatory partnerships are suggested. The research draws on Foucault's definition of discourse, and Bourdieu's human capital theories and his concept of habitus and distinction. The links between informal and formal learning are rarely researched and theorised, but this study identifies how archaeologists, acting as "cultural intermediaries" (Bourdieu, 1984: 14), can create and sustain learning opportunities for adults, collapsing some of the traditional hierarchies between popular entertainment, community knowledge, and intellectual knowledge. The thesis places learning in archaeology within the theory of a structured taxonomy of learning (Biggs, 1971, Biggs and Collis, 1982).
609

Sports leadership : an exploration of the personal development of sports leaders and their contribution to community sport

Mawson, Hannah January 2013 (has links)
Sports leadership has received increased promotion during the past two decades, as a tool for providing individuals with leadership skills and in contributing towards community sport development objectives. Sports Leaders UK (SLUK) play a key role in providing sports leadership training programmes in the UK, training over 200,000 leaders each year. This aims of this research was to evaluate the work of SLUK, in contributing towards the development of sport the personal and career development of the leaders undertaking the awards. A mixed methods approach was adopted to achieve ‘enhancement’ of findings. The first quantitative phase involved binary logistic regression analysis of SLUK’s candidate database (n=76,179) and set out to identify the predictor variables associated with award completion. The second quantitative phase provided analysis of surveys (n=76), and set out to explore relationships between the leaders’ career and personal development and involvement in the SLUK awards. The final qualitative study sought to gain the views and perspectives of the sports leaders who had engaged with the SLUK awards through the use of semi-structured interviews (n=16). This study aimed to further investigate the impact of SLUK awards on career development and in contributing towards sport and other community outcomes. Results showed that the SLUK awards were perceived to contribute to developing sport, particularly within the school environment. Furthermore, with the training and development of more sports leaders who are actively leading sport, more opportunities were found to be provided across the UK. Engagement in the awards was found to increase feelings of self-worth, which in turn helped build self-esteem and confidence in the leaders. Important factors which appeared to be associated with award completion and continued leadership behaviour included location of the award (i.e. centre type) and choice of participation in the awards. The research provides original contribution to knowledge by exploring the impact of SLUK awards on the leaders’ personal development and community sport. Future delivery of sports leadership needs to be focused in communities if sports leaders are to make the transition from schools to community clubs and continue volunteering. Support from mentors was found to be crucial in ensuring that sports leaders sustain their voluntary leadership.
610

Evaluating the interaction between extension educators and urban farmers in the Kansas City metropolitan area

Tanner, Caroline January 1900 (has links)
Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreational Resources / Rhonda Janke / With the increasing popularity of urban farming, more people are seeking resources to start their own farming/growing production in urban environments. Traditionally, county Extension educators are a key resource for beginning farmers and growers. However, urban Extension offices are often overlooked as resources in the urban farming planning process. The objectives of this study are 1) identify information urban farmers currently have, information they need, and their preferred delivery methods 2) look at the resources and information that are offered by local Extension educators in the KC metro area and 3) analyze how these two groups are communicating and what could improve to meet farmers‟ needs. This project evaluates current interaction between urban farmers and Extension educators in the Kansas City area through a two-pronged approach: a written mail-out questionnaire for urban farmers and growers in the Kansas City metropolitan area and through in-person one-on-one interviews with Extension educators that emphasize topic areas related to urban agriculture in the KC area. One hundred and nineteen farmers/growers were surveyed, and a 54.6% response rate was achieved. The majority of farmers had small, diversified farms and were relatively new to farming. Respondents were primarily older, white men that had higher education. Independently-driven sources (such as self-research, other farmers, and friends/family) were most commonly used sources among farmers. Overall, respondents ranked Extension highly in terms of information quantity, quality and as their "go to" source. Extension educators from Kansas State University, University of Missouri, and Lincoln University were interviewed one-on-one using scripted interview questions to determine topics and medias of information that are currently being offered. Production and processing information is offered the most by educators followed by distribution, equipment, and marketing information. Financial information was the least offered information topic. Extension educators use a wide variety of methods to distribute information. Most Extension educators are aware of benefits and barriers relating to urban agriculture in the KC metro area. Extension educators are addressing urban agriculture in varying degrees and the level of involvement corresponds to the Extension institution.

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