The rapid growth of the internet over the past decade has provided increasing opportunities for individuals to engage in computer-mediated social interaction in virtual environments. Despite this rapid growth there has been limited research into the way people use the Internet, and the effect Internet use has on their lives (Kraut, 1996). The overall aim in the research presented in this thesis was to explore how characteristics of the individual interact with characteristics of computer-mediated communication to enable socio-emotional communication and behaviour in social text-based virtual environments. Three studies are presented. Studies One and Two are qualitative studies of social interaction in two text-based, synchronous ('real time') virtual environments: MOOs (Multi User Dimensions, Object Oriented) and Internet Relay' Chat (IRC). Grounded Theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) methodology was used to develop formal theories of social interaction within these environments. Stage models of virtual environment use were developed that described changes in social interaction over time. In MOOs, changes in social interaction over time reflected the process of coming to terms with what was initially viewed by users as an alternative reality. In IRC the central feature of social interaction that emerged was the perceived ease of communication. This was attributed to the effortlessness of meeting a wide range of potential communication partners in a social context where the communication itself was simplified to text only communication. The hypotheses developed from the qualitative research in Studies One and Two were tested in Study Three. This was a longitudinal study of new Internet users that examined the bi-directional effects of personality characteristics and computer-mediated communication on behaviour. Personality measures were poor predictors of time spent in ++ / both specific types of virtual environments and on-line in general. Based on the usage patterns across the three studies a decision pathway for the use of virtual environments was developed. A key finding across the studies was the potential for virtual environments to enhance psychological well-being for individuals who experience social discomfort in off-line settings. Limitations of the research were discussed and suggestions made for future research.

This study describes the first study conducted in Thailand that resulted in changes in science teachers' classroom environments. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of constructivist teaching on improving learning environments in Thai secondary school science classrooms. The study involved three phases. First, the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), an instrument for assessing students' perceptions of the actual and preferred classroom environment through the constructivist perspective, was validated for use in Thailand. Second, typical Thai secondary school science classrooms were described using quantitative and qualitative methods. Finally, the effectiveness of constructivist teaching on promoting improvement in classroom environments was evaluated through an action research process, involving the use of feedback on actual and preferred classroom environments. The sample consisted of seven secondary school science teachers and their 17 classes of 606 students in Nakornsawan Province, Thailand. Student Actual and Preferred Forms of the CLES, assessing Personal Relevance, Uncertainty, Critical Voice, Shared Control and Student Negotiation, were administered. Factor analysis and internal consistency reliability measures supported a five-factor structure for both actual and preferred forms. Students' attitudes to science were also measured. The actual and preferred environments of different classes were described based on profiles of classroom environment scores. / The results suggested that the average classroom in this study had relatively high levels of student perceived actual Uncertainty, Student Negotiation, and Personal Relevance, but the levels of Shared Control and Critical Voice were consistently lower. On all five scales, students preferred a more favourable classroom environment than what they perceived as being actually present. Three teachers, selected from the original sample, then participated in an attempt to improve their classroom environments through the use of a constructivist teaching approach. Changes in classrooms did occur, thus supporting the effectiveness of constructivist teaching in improving classroom learning environments and students' attitudes towards science in Thailand.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the beliefs and related classroom practices of a selected group of in-service teachers within the context of a mathematics professional development intervention for primary school teachers in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. A cohort of 34 teachers drawn from urban and rural schools in the Eastern Cape engaged in an accredited professional development intervention offered by the Rhodes University Mathematics Education Project (RUMEP). The 34 teachers were referred to as key teachers as they were expected to stimulate mathematics activities with fellow teachers in their school and in a cluster of nearby schools. The professional development intervention took place in a context of transition and transformation in education in South Africa. Curriculum transformation has been inspired by the production of a national policy document known as Curriculum 2005. This document rests on the theoretical assumptions of a learner-centred, outcomes-based approach within a constructivist framework. The professional development experiences of the RUMEP intervention were based on a strongly constructivist rationale recognising the need for key teachers to implement learner-centred, outcomes-based approaches in their classrooms. Although the study included both qualitative and quantitative data gathering techniques the research paradigm was mainly interpretive. From the group of 34 key teachers, a purposive sample of three cases was selected for classroom observation. Two observation periods of six months each made up the First Phase and Second Phase classroom visits, interspersed with intensive professional development contact sessions. / During the First Phase observations, 1 as the participant observer, visited the classrooms of Lulama, Makana and Ruth (pseudonyms), the three case study teachers. In the Second Phase period, a colleague and 1 video recorded the classroom practices of all three teachers. The videotapes were analysed by a consultant panel of observers to identify emergent themes using Yager's (1991) Constructivist Learning Model to guide the analysis process. The panel identified a number of dominant themes and these meta-themes have possible implications for a teaching and learning approach that is based on learner-centred, constructivist strategies as advocated in the Curriculum 2005 document. The meta-themes included such challenging issues as a constructivist learning environment, learner-centredness, learner participation, collaboration, reflection, teacher content knowledge, topic progression, and power relations. The findings of the study also suggested that the case study teachers' beliefs did influence their classroom practices. A significant outcome was that teachers in the field were unlikely to sustain outcomes- based, constructivist approaches without regular on-site support. Arising out of this study, 1 was able to isolate ten features that should usefully be incorporated into other professional development interventions in the Eastern Cape, and one of these features was the support provided to teachers in the classroom. / Of further significance was the realisation that future interventions need to focus on the conceptual development of teachers' mathematics content knowledge and the systematic planning of related activities when preparing the pace and a particular mathematics topic using the National Curriculum Statement (2001) as a guide. Quantitative data from the full cohort of 34 key teachers was collected via a mathematics Beliefs Scale, authentic assessment tests (Insight Tasks), and a School Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ). The results on the Belief Scale indicated significant differences teachers' beliefs on two out of the' c subscales. These differences were in the teaching and learning of mathematics. There was no significant difference on the sequencing topic subscale. The key teachers completed the Insight Tasks pre an intervention to measure gains in their content and pedagogic (professional) knowledge. The Insight Task results indicated that the key teachers made clear progress in their professional development. Quantitative data was also gathered from six mathematics teachers in a selected urban school. The School Level Environment Questionnaire instrument was administered to the six teachers. The aim was to profile the teachers' pedagogic needs within a context of curriculum transformation. The profile raised two items for discussion: Staff Freedom and Resource Adequacy. It would appear that the teachers in this particular school wanted more guidance in planning outcomes-based mathematics topics, and they highlighted the need for classroom- based resources if they were to adequately implement such a curriculum.

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) / Many people believe that ‘purpose-built’ facilities will diminish some of the challenging behaviours exhibited by older people with dementia or psychiatric conditions. This study aimed to explore and understand what hands-on nurses in psychogeriatric assessment units experience and think of the built environment as a part of their day to day work. Twenty-one unstructured interviews were conducted with nurses at three psychogeriatric assessment units. The units ranged in style from an ancient adapted building to a contemporary 'purpose-built' facility. A critical hermeneutics derived from Gadamer was used to explore the interviews. It found that nurses think of the built environment in relation to the care needs of their patients, and feel bureaucratic restrictions in using the built environment more keenly than the shortcomings of the built environment itself. Nurses saw themselves and their patients as 'outcasts' or victims of those with money and power. The study concludes with suggestions for challenging the status quo, but also considers that being regarded as 'outcasts' allows opportunities to avoid being overly impressed by technological marvels.

Museum techniques of presentation are reviewed for the possibility of use in contemporary botanic gardens. Supporting evidence suggests that these techniques are being successfully applied in some botanic gardens around the world. Institutions that have adopted museum techniques have been found to operate efficiently, whilst providing increased levels of enjoyment and education for visitors. Cultural differences between various countries have small influences on the most effective presentation techniques used, but further local research is required to uncover visitor preferences and use patterns in Australian botanic gardens. General principles of design that work well in the indoor environments of international musuems apply well in the outdoor environments of botanic gardens. Therefore greater use should be made of existing international museum research into visitor patterns of behaviour where it is locally appropriate.

<p>This thesis is a project carried out at the “Centre for RF measurements Technology“at the University of Gävle. The first aim was basically the characterization of different industrial indoor environments to get a model that describes dispersive features of each environment.</p><p> </p><p>The results of previous measurements campaign on three industrial environments as steel mill, storage paper and industrial process mill are used. Also new Power Delay Profile (PDP) on corridor and laboratory has been developed.</p><p> </p><p>Measurements for three frequency bands are done (183-683 MHz, 1640-2140MHz and 2200-2700MHz) and for line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) industrial and laboratory scenaries cases are presented.</p><p> </p><p>All these models have been compared with other existing models as Saleh-Valenzuela Model, Two Cluster Model and Indoor Power Delay Profile Model (IPDP Model) and fit-line, typical deviation are shown.</p><p> </p><p>Finally we present a study of the different systems used in the industry and the best suited system to the conditions is chosen.</p><p><strong> </strong></p>

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Norman K. Lownds, Curator, Michigan 4-H Children's Gardens. Includes bibliographical references.

The vertical structures of tropospheric temperature and moisture over the oceans have not been well observed to date. The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) aboard NASA?s Aqua satellite offers the opportunity to provide observed soundings of these variables. This thesis focuses on the validation and application of AIRS soundings in the tropical troposphere over the Atlantic Ocean, with emphasis on the Saharan Air Layer (SAL). SAL outbreaks occur every few days, producing a warm air mass that is particularly dry at the middle levels. These westward-propagating plumes inhibit convection and are thereby thought to possess a detrimental effect on African easterly waves and tropical cyclones (TCs). First, AIRS soundings are compared with concurrent Global Positioning System (GPS) dropwindsonde data released from NOAA?s Gulfstream-IV jet aircraft, for three TC cases. In SAL environments, temperature soundings from both instruments are usually consistent. Additionally, AIRS is able to capture the very dry air in the middle levels, but it generally underestimates the moisture in the boundary layer and often misses the sharp vertical moisture gradient at the SAL base (~850 hPa). In the moist tropical boundary layer, AIRS also exhibits a dry bias. Cloud cover also prevents AIRS from accurately sampling the low-level moisture. Next, total precipitable water is derived from AIRS soundings and averaged over daily, monthly and seasonal timescales. The significant monthly and interannual variability of the moisture distribution is found to be consistent with expectations. A peak in the probability density function of mixing ratio corresponding to dry air is observed in the lower-mid troposphere in early summer, consistent with the increased frequency of SAL outbreaks during this period. Finally, the relationship between dry air derived from AIRS and TC intensity is explored. As the amount of dry air increases, particularly in the southeast and northeast quadrants of the TC, the TC becomes more likely to weaken. In the presence of high wind shear or low sea surface temperature, the likelihood of weakening increases further. While these results highlight some shortcomings of the AIRS data, their importance and uniqueness are emphasized via new applications of AIRS soundings over data sparse regions.

The purpose of this project is to develop a software framework, a 3D engine, which will generate images to be projected onto facets of a spatially immersive display (SID). The goal is to develop a software library to support the creation of images of specified 3D environments which are specific to the display geometries of a polyhedral class of SIDs. Part of this goal is developing auxiliary software to allow this library to be thoroughly tested. When properly working, the images being displayed on adjoining faces of the SID appear spatially and temporally consistent with one another, creating the illusion that the user is within a surrounding three-dimensional space.

Simulated learning environments are becoming a more popular format for the delivery of healthcare education. These environments include but are not limited to simulated online learning environments, serious games, task trainers, and, electronic mannequins. Presently there is a lack of understanding of how the learning environment impacts students’ disposition to engage in learning processes and how learner satisfaction with the environment impacts learning outcomes. This preliminary descriptive study utilizes methods such as traditional statistical analysis and Association Rule mining. This study will investigate how students perceptions of the simulative learning environment IPSims (Interprofessional Simulations) usability impacts learning outcomes, and how these environments may impact student disposition to engage in learning. The participants (n= 58) were undergraduate health science students studying at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. The data analysis provides insight into how simulative learning environments can impact student engagement in learning processes. Study strengths and limitations are identified along with future considerations. / UOIT