In order to investigate the empirical properties of focus, it is necessary to diagnose focus (or: "what is focused") in particular linguistic examples. <br>It is often taken for granted that the application of one single diagnostic tool, the so-called question-answer test, which roughly says that whatever a question asks for is focused in the answer, is a fool-proof test for focus. <br>This paper investigates one example class where such uncritical belief in the question-answer test has led to the assumption of rather complex focus projection rules: in these examples, pitch accent placement has been claimed to depend on certain parts of the focused constituents being given or not. <br>It is demonstrated that such focus projection rules are unnecessarily complex and in turn require the assumption of unnecessarily complicated meaning rules, not to speak of the difficulties to give a precise semantic/pragmatic definition of the allegedly involved givenness property. <br>For the sake of the argument, an alternative analysis is put forward which relies solely on alternative sets following Mats Rooth's work, and avoids any recourse to givenness.<br> As it turns out, this alternative analysis is not only simpler but also makes in a critical case the better predictions.

The need for low propellant weight, high efficiency propulsion systems is a glaring need for various space missions. This thesis presents the thrust modeling of the Dense Plasma Focus plasma motion phases. It also contrasts some of the engineering tradeoffs between the existing coaxial plasma thrusters and the Dense Plasma Focus. Modeling the thrust generated by the DPF started with seeing how far the working models for the MPD would take the DPF. The effect of pulsed compared to quasi-steady state operation is computed. There is no known experimental data regarding thrust measurements for any DPF, so the thrust is analytically calculated using experimental data for the TAMU DPF. The calculated thrust is slightly higher than the thrust predicted by the models. The developed model shows that the force generated by the DPF will produce a thrust roughly three times the thrust for the MPD for similar input currents and electrode geometry. For the TAMUDPF to compete with the MPD as a thruster, it will need to be able to fire roughly 75 more times a second than the MPD.

In this thesis, information completeness and credibility in web auction environment is the mainly question to find out. By using focus group research method, three discussions were held. In the first discussion, there were six interviewers joined, and the discussing purpose was to understand the concept of information completeness and credibility in e-commerce. In the second discussion, two sellers were invited to demonstrate and to explain how to sell in online auction. In the third discussion, eight buyers were asked to introducing themselves, and discussing themselves cases about online shopping. Finally using oral analysis skills, the research framework was constructed. The research suggests that information completeness and credibility includes all about product information, retailers¡¦ information, transaction information, information representation and third parties information. Each has its different degree of credibility, and buyers usually retrieve information they need to reduce their perceived risk.

This dissertation describes two related phenomena in the syntax and semantics of K’ichee’ (Mayan), concentrating on the variety spoken in and around Nahualá. The first phenomenon is focus, the special discourse status granted to constituents which provide new and important information. The second phenomenon is syntactic movement, which occurs in several different constructions in K’ichee’ — most relevantly, that of focus movement. Across languages, focused constituents are highlighted in one way or another; and in Mayan languages, this highlighting often takes the form of movement to a position immediately before the verb. But I show that the relationship between focus and movement in K’ichee’ is less straightforward than has previously been assumed. In particular, it is often possible for a focused constituent to remain in situ. Having shown that focus in situ is possible, I turn to the question of when it occurs. I show that focus in situ follows an ergative/absolutive pattern: it is impossible for transitive subjects, but possible for all other constituent types. This pattern is compared to ergative/absolutive patterns found elsewhere in K’ichee’ grammar, and in other languages. / text

This thesis examines the syntax of Focus constructions in Rausa within a Principles and ParameterslMinimalist framework. An analysis is presented to account for the properties of Focus-fronting constructions in Rausa as well as of 'copular' constructions which are also shown to have Focus properties. It is argued that the 'copula' found in both Focusfronting and 'copular' constructions in Rausa is not a verbal or inflectional element as argued by McConvell (1973) and Tuller (1986a) respectively, but instead the spellout of a functional category F(ocus) in the sense of Brody (1990). Chapter 1 presents an introduction to the main syntactic characteristics of Rausa, including word order, inflectional properties and case, and data surrounding Focus and related constructions. Chapter 2 presents a general introduction to the phenomenon of Focus, including typological and comparative discussion to show the various crosslinguistic syntactic manifestations of Focus. The theoretical framework is established and and pre-Minimalist literature surrounding Focus is reviewed. Chapter 3 presents the analysis, which argues for a Focus Phrase (FP) structure for Focus-fronting constructions in Rausa and discusses the advantages ofthis approach on the basis of empirical and theoretical considerations. In chapter 4 the analysis is extended to 'copular' constructions in Rausa; these apparently unrelated constructions are shown to have Focus properties and the FP analysis is argued to account for this fact in a straightforward and principled manner. Chapter 5 considers the FP analysis from a cross-linguistic perspective to see how it might account for Focus and copular constructions in a range of languages related to Rausa, and it is shown that although some languages present challenging cases for an FP analysis, there is considerable support for an approach of this nature.

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Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 164-168). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-67).

Ph.D. (Marketing Management) / The study was conducted for the purpose of providing a scientific research quality framework to provide guidelines and new knowledge for focus group research practice in South Africa. The need for a guiding focus group framework was borne out of the critical need for scientific and quality marketing information generated through focus group research. The growing need for quality focus group research information across industries in South Africa was evidently not met, due to the various challenges inherent within the local industry practice of focus group research. The various challenges impacting on the quality of focus group research were identified through an extensive literature investigation, and later confirmed through the empirical study which was preceded by an exploratory qualitative study. The major sources of research quality challenges identified and investigated for purposes of the study relate to non-systematic approaches to focus group research, malpractices and misuse of the focus group method leading to quality compromises. The unstreamlined approach to focus group research practice was found to be due to the different versions of the focus group process followed by many research practitioners, including their own self-guessed approaches. A further complication arises from lack of adherence to scientific procedures, either deliberately in the rush for profit or out of ignorance of research science with respect to the marketing research process. For these reasons, the quality of focus group research produced within the local marketing research industry may not me deemed scientific. Evidence abound, a desirable focus group research practice environment, guided through scientific application of the research method and conducive to the supply of quality focus group research needed to be created, in order to mitigate the quality challenges. The implications for questionable research quality were confirmed through the study to be dire for research user organisations across industries. Unsuspecting research users paid for and applied the defective research to inform their decision-making processes thereby risking failure in the face of market uncertainty.

Despite the ability for past studies to link various psychological factors to optimal athletic performances, the roles of specific factors have yet to be fully discerned. Using a phenomenological-constructionist approach, the present study aims to gather a sharpened understanding of the roles that confidence and focus have on elite sport performances. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Canadian and Norwegian high-level athletes originating from various sporting backgrounds. The athletes were interrogated about their general perspectives towards confidence and focus, inquired about the nature of their focus with regards to different game situations and asked to revisit their best and worst performances with the emphasis put on their confidence level and focus. The analysis of the interviews was inductive and followed Giorgi’s (1985) phenomenological methodology. Results suggested that an optimal focus is very often, if not always, present in best performances and largely absent during worst performances, thus suggesting that focus indeed plays a direct role on sporting exploits. Furthermore, confidence appears to serve as a powerful facilitator for the occurrence of optimal focus, leading to suggest that its relationship with performance might be more indirect. The increased understanding of the roles that both confidence and focus have on athletic performance that is enlightened by this study can serve as basis for practitioners in the development of performance enhancement programs in addition to stimulate future research on the possible relationship between confidence, focus and performance.