Rater training is important for improving the quality of human resource decisions. However, there is little research that has examined the influence of trainee individual differences on rater training effectiveness. In Study 1, I found support for a partially mediated model in which learning goal orientation, internal locus of control, and promotion focus influenced rater training motivation through general self-efficacy. In Study 2, I extended the model to include rater training criteria, and I found that rater training motivation did not predict declarative knowledge, rating validity, or rating accuracy, but cognitive ability predicted all three outcomes. Overall, the results suggest that although individual differences in attitudes are relevant for understanding rater training motivation, cognitive ability may be much more important for understanding rater training effectiveness. Implications for rater training theory and practice are discussed.

Raters have been shown to react differently to performance evaluation formats. However, reactions to a new and promising format, frame-of-reference scales (FORS), remains untested. This experiment found that FORS users reacted more positively compared to standard scale users overall, and results were attributable to perceived accuracy and fairness.

The primary intent of this study was to gain insight into children's ability to use visual information in planning reaching movements. More specifically, the work presented here examined, from a developmental perspective, the use of visual information to use a) egocentric cues, b) allocentric cues, and c) the combination, in the form of visual background around a target. Children representing the age groups 5-, 7-, 9-, 11 years and adults participated in three experiments. All experiments were conducted using an immediate (visually-guided) and response-delay (memory-guided) paradigm. Experiment 1 examined the ability of participants to use an egocentric frame of reference to estimate reach via motor imagery. Results indicated that introducing a >̲ 2s delay affected responses in all age groups, especially the younger age groups (5- and 7-year-olds). As delay increased, children as a group tended to overestimate, while adults underestimated. Experiment 2 investigated how participants used allocentric cues to estimate the location of objects in a perceptual estimate paradigm. Results revealed that introducing a delay affected the estimation of distance among all age groups, with greater effect on the younger age groups. Experiment 3 examined how a visual background surrounding a target would affect estimation of reach. Results revealed that there were no differences when targets were surrounded with or without a background. Results also showed that the 5- and 7-year-olds were most affected on their perception of reach and estimates by longer delays. Considered together, these results hint that: (1) there is a significant temporal constraint on the representation of movement through the visoumotor stream, especially with children 7 years and younger, and (2) children as a whole tend to operate and rely more on an egocentric frame of reference; therefore, responses of reachability and distance estimates were susceptible to greater error when performed after a 2s delay.

No description available.

No description available.

Abstract The present study investigates phenomena of caring from the point of view of nursing work in the Western society, approaching the topic from historical and theoretical frames of reference. The historical frame of reference is an entity where descriptions of the concepts and phenomena of nursing, nursing ethics and caring are explored from the point of view of hermeneutic interpretation of history. Data from an earlier period include publications, text books and research papers from the years 1903–1938 on nursing in Finland, nursing ethics and caring and also material on the life work of Ms. Naima Kurvinen (1876–1933), matron at the Oulu Province Hospital. Data from a later period consist of articles, literary work and research papers on nursing work, nursing ethics and caring from the years 1979–2004. The theoretical frame of reference will here be approached from the points of view of phenomenology and philosophical hermeneutics. The data include philosophical literature on phenomenology, philosophical hermeneutics, and the essence, ethics and knowledge of humanity. Heidegger's philosophy of the mind of being proved to be a central theory in interpreting the phenomenon of caring. Morality, autonomy and universality were the three theoretical statements of caring found in the study. Central characteristics describing the moral essence of caring were grouped under four theses as follows: 1. Moral statements describing caring are normative, i.e. they contain moral principles which guide our actions. The good of another individual emerged as the expressed function of caring. 2. Some values, such as humaneness, dignity, health, and well-being can intuitively be named as the good within caring. 3. The act of caring is to place oneself to take care of another person. This is based on freedom, authentic presence and ability to assume another person's preferences. The combination of these qualities describes altruism within caring. 4. The humane essence of man and interaction with others include ethical meanings of caring. Caring is action that protects, maintains and enriches life and involves hope. The autonomous nature of caring is here described with the following three theses: 1. The autonomy of caring signifies the nurse's independence and the special nature of the context. Knowledge and the ability to place oneself to take care of another person are essential prerequisites. 2. The practical knowledge of caring is ethical in nature. 3. Prerequisites explaining caring, such as ethicality, knowledge, and awareness and meanings of nursing describe the phenomenological features of caring, making the act of caring an autonomous one. The following two theses are used to argue for the universal essence of nursing: 1. Our humane and historical qualities are part of universally recognized humane values. Concern represents the manner of being within caring, describes meanings and values given to it and, finally, attaches one's awareness to the real world. 2. The moral of caring is universal in nature. / Tiivistelmä Tarkastelen tässä tutkimuksessa hoitamisen ilmiötä länsimaisen hoitotyön näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksen lähestymistavaksi valitsin historiallisen ja teoreettisen viitekehyksen. Historiallinen viitekehys on kokonaisuus, jossa hoitotyön, hoitoetiikan ja hoitamisen käsitteiden ja ilmiöiden kuvaukset muodostavat historiallisen aineiston, jota tarkastelen hermeneuttisen historiantulkinnan näkökulmasta. Varhaisempi aineisto sisältää suomalaista hoitotyötä, hoitoetiikkaa ja hoitamista käsitteleviä julkaisuja, oppikirjoja ja dokumentteja vuosilta 1903–1938 sekä Oulun lääninsairaalan ylihoitajatar Naima Kurvisen (1876–1933) elämäntyöhön liittyvän aineiston. Myöhäisempi aineisto koostuu hoitotyötä, hoitoetiikkaa ja hoitamista käsittelevistä artikkeleista, teoksista ja tutkimuksista vuosilta 1979–2004. Historiallinen viitekehys on opastanut minua hoitamisen alkuperäistä luonnetta esittävien kysymysten etsimisessä, tutkimuskohdetta kuvaavan aineiston löytämisessä ja sen hedelmällisessä tulkitsemisessa. Teoreettisen viitekehyksen tarkastelunäkökulmiksi valitsin fenomenologian ja filosofisen hermeneutiikan. Aineisto sisältää fenomenologiaa ja filosofista hermeneutiikkaa sekä ihmisyyden olemusta, etiikkaa ja tietoa käsittelevää filosofista kirjallisuutta. Teoreettinen viitekehys mahdollisti tutkimuskulun ymmärtämisen sekä sen esittämisen. Heideggerin olemisen mielen filosofia osoittautui keskeiseksi teoriaksi hoitamisen ilmiön tulkitsemisessa. Hoitamisen ensimmäisen väittämän, moraalisuuden, ominaispiirteet esitän seuraavissa teeseissä: 1. Hoitamista kuvaavat moraalilausumat ovat normatiivisia eli ne sisältävät toimintaa ohjaavia moraaliperiaatteita. Niissä ilmaistu hoitamisen funktio on toisen ihmisen hyvä. 2. Joitakin arvoja voidaan nimetä intuitiivisesti hoitamisen hyvän määritelmiksi. Näitä ovat inhimillisyys, arvokkuus, terveys ja hyvinvointi. 3. Hoitaminen on asettautumista toisen ihmisen hoitamiseen. Asettautumisen perustana on vapaus ja autenttinen läsnäolo sekä kyky toisen preferenssien omaksumiseen. Nämä ominaisuudet yhdessä kuvaavat altruismia hoitamisessa. 4. Ihmisen inhimillinen olemus ja kanssakäyminen toisten ihmisten kanssa sisältävät hoitamisen eettisyyden merkityksiä. Hoitaminen on elämää suojelevaa, ylläpitävää ja rikastavaa sekä toivoa sisältävää. Toisen väittämän, autonomisuuden, olemusta kuvaavat ominaispiirteet esitän seuraavasti: 1. Hoitamisen autonomisuus tarkoittaa hoitajan itsenäisyyttä ja kontekstin erityislaatuisuutta. Tieto ja asettautuminen ovat sen välttämättömiä ehtoja. 2. Hoitamisen praktinen tieto on eettistä. 3. Hoitamista perustelevat ennakkoehdot, kuten eettisyys, tieto ja tiedostaminen sekä hoitamisen merkitykset, kuvaavat hoitamisen fenomenologisia ominaisuuksia. Nämä tekevät hoitamisesta autonomisen. Hoitamisen universaalia olemusta perustelen kahden teesin avulla: 1. Ihmisen inhimilliset ja historialliset ominaisuudet kuuluvat yleismaailmallisesti esiintyviin humaanisiin arvoihin. Huoli ilmentää hoitamisen olemisen tapaa, kuvaa sille annettuja merkityksiä ja arvoja sekä kiinnittää tietoisuuden reaaliseen maailmaan. 2. Hoitamisen moraalin luonne on yleinen.

v anglickém jazyce The purpose of this thesis is to analyse europeanisation of private law. The thesis is composed of six chapter, each of them dealing with different aspects of the creation of uniform private law. Chapter One is introductory. Deals with the term of europeanisation of private law and focuses on its basic methods. Attempts to distinguish centralist and non-centralist ways of convergence in the area of european private law. The first subchapter describes unification of private law by means of international conventions and through european regulations and directives. The second subpart examines spontaneous process of europeanisation of private law. Ilustrates the creation of a european private law by legal science and education, drafting principles of european private law and is concerned with competition of legal systems. Chapter two explores if the unification of private law is needed and possible. Discusses positive as well as negative arguments of the unification in the area of private law. Chapter three describes several of academic iniciatives concerned with the creation of uniform private law. Chapter Four concentrates on european contract law. This part discusses the term of contract law, describes international instruments of its unification, focuses on consumer protection in...

Tout individu extrait de ses informations sensorielles des invariants directionnels lui permettant de percevoir sa propre situation spatiale ainsi que celle des objets qui l'entourent. Dans les situations habituelles, les traitements relatifs à l'orientation spatiale s'effectuent à partir de référentiels relativement redondants. Cette redondance autorise à la fois la mise en place d'une sensibilité individuelle préférentielle à l'égard d'un de ces référentiels ainsi qu'une large flexibilité dans le choix du référentiel. Lors de ce travail nous avons voulu tester deux hypothèses principales. La 1ère est que les différences interindividuelles observées lors de tâches de perception d'orientation spatiales dépendent du choix du référentiel. La 2nd hypothèse est que l'un des facteurs explicatifs de la variabilité interindividuelle lors de tâches de perception d'orientation spatiale se situe au niveau des règles d'intégration multisensorielle utilisées par les individus. Les résultats montrent que l'ensemble des cadres de références semblent pris en compte par les individus rejetant ainsi la 1ère hypothèse selon laquelle les différences interindividuelles s'expliqueraient par la capacité de certains sujets à exploiter le "bon" cadre de référence. Les résultats montrent que l'un des facteurs explicatifs des différences interindividuelles se situe dans la manière dont le système nerveux central combinerait les différentes informations, certains sujets (DC) semblant incapables de minimiser l'influence des "mauvais" cadre de référence (les moins appropriés, les plus biaisés) en diminuant leur poids respectifs. / Each person extract from sensory information directional invariant which allow him to perceive his spatial situation as well as those of objects surround him. In usual situations, processing relative to spatial orientation is carried out from relatively redundant reference. This redundancy allows both the setting up of preferential individual sensibility regarding those reference and important flexibility in choice of reference. Durant this work, we tested two main hypotheses. The first one is that observed interindividual differences during spatial orientation perception task depend on reference choice. The second one is that one of explanatory factors of interindividual differences during spatial orientation perception task be set in multisensory integration rules level used by the person. Results show that all frame of reference seem to consider by the people rejecting the first hypothesis according to which interindividual differences be explained by the ability of some subjects to exploit the "good" frame of reference. Results show that one of explanatory factors of interindividual differences is set in the way of central nervous system combine several information, some subjects (DC) seems unable to minimize "wrong" frame of reference influence (the least appropriate, the most biased) by reducing respective weight.

In this thesis, an actuation system is developed for a Two-Axis Gyroscopic (TAG) adapter. This adapter is a fixture with two auxiliary axes which is used for the Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) technique to enhance a three-axis mill to have five-axis capabilities. With five-axis mill capabilities, variable angles between line segments of the toolpath and the tool can be obtained. To achieve specialized angles between a line segment and the SPIF tool, the sheet is rotated. Inverse kinematic equations for the TAG adapter are derived to calculate the required rotations for the TAG adapter’s auxiliary axes for a line segment of a toolpath. If the next line segment requires a different orientation of the sheet, the sheet is rotated while the tool follows the rotation of the sheet to maintain its position at the connecting point of the line segments of the toolpath. Five equations of motions are derived to calculate the three translations of the mill and two rotations of the TAG adapter’s frames, during forming. A toolpath execution algorithm is implemented in MATLAB which uses the five equations of motion to execute a toolpath. The algorithm generates an array of data points that can be used by a Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine to follow a desired path. A visual representation for the execution of the toolapth is implemented in MATLAB and is used to illustrate the successful completion of a toolpath. A computer controlled motor system is selected and tested in this thesis which will ultimately be integrated with a worm gear system and a CNC machine to develop a full CNC actuation system. / UOIT

A theoretical study on the hydrodynamics of mixing processes in stirred tanks is described. The primary objective of this study is to investigate flow field and power consumption generated by the six blades Rushton turbine impeller in baffled, flat-bottom cylindrical tank both at laminar and turbulent flow regime both qualitatively and quantitatively. Experimental techniques are expensive and time consuming in characterizing mixing processes. For these reasons, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been considered as an alternative method. In this study, the velocity field and power requirement are obtained using FASTEST, which is a CFD package. It employs a fully conservative second order finite volume method for the solution of Navier-Stokes equations. The inherently time-dependent geometry of stirred vessel is simulated by a multiple frame of reference approach. The flow field obtained numerically agrees well with those published experimental measurements. It is shown that Rushton turbine impeller creates predominantly radial jet flow pattern and produces two main recirculation flows one above and the other below the impeller plane. Throughout the tank impeller plane dimensionless radial velocity is not affected significantly by the increasing impeller speed and almost decreases linearly with increase in radial distance. Effect of the baffling on the radial and tangential velocities is also investigated. It is seen that tangential velocity is larger than radial velocity at the same radial position in unbaffled system. An overall impeller performance characteristic like power number is also found to be in agreement with the published experimental data. Also power number is mainly affected by the baffle length and increase with increase in baffle length. It is concluded that multiple frame of reference approach is suitable for the prediction of flow pattern and power number in stirred tank.