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The purpose of this study is to examine the validity and reliability of summative assessment of EFL student writing in a Swedish context. Three teachers have assessed the same four student essays from the English 6 course in Swedish upper secondary school. In addition to grading each essay, the teachers have indicated the extent of conformity to the grading criteria in terms of flow, structure, cohesion, adaptation to purpose, clarity, and variation. The analyzed data show a variation in assessment criteria interpretation, affecting assessment validity and reliability, and questioning the assessment equivalence of the Swedish criterion-referenced gradingsystem. / Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka validiteten och reliabiliteten hos summativa bedömningar av studentuppsatser ur ett svenskt perspektiv. Tre lärare har bedömt samma fyra studentuppsatser från engelska 6. Förutom att betygsätta varje uppsats har lärarna angett graden av överensstämmelse med betygskriterierna: flöde, struktur, sammanhållning, anpassning till syfte, tydlighet och variation. De analyserade data visar en variation i tolkning av betygskriterier, vilket påverka rbedömningens validitet och reliabilitet och ifrågasätter bedömningslikvärdigheten i det svenska mål-relaterade betygssystemet.

Pulse width modulation (PWM) voltage source converters (VSC) are one type of motor drives that have become popular because they enable precise control of speed and torque in medium voltage motors. However, these drives are known to have adverse effects on the insulation system particularly on conductive armour tape (CAT) and semi-conductive stress grading tape (SGT). These tapes, which are crucial components of the insulation system, control the surface electrical stresses in the stator slot and in the end portion of the form-wound coils outside the grounded stator. The material properties of CAT and SGT and the methods by which they are applied on form-wound motor coils are traditionally designed for power frequency, or a 60 Hz sinusoidal voltage. However, because of the high frequencies associated with the repetition rate and the fast rise time of the PWM pulses, elevated electrical and thermal stresses develop in these tapes, which can lead to premature insulation failure. Little research has been conducted with respect to understanding the mechanism of dielectric heating as a function of frequency and repetitive pulse characteristics. The material characterization of CAT and SGT is a vital part of an investigation of the performance of the stress relief system at high frequencies. In this study, the anisotropic dielectric properties of CAT and SGT have been measured in dc and ac and in low and high electric fields. The laboratory experiments for determining the material characteristics are discussed and the results analyzed. According to the ac space charge limited field (SCLF) theory, the maximum ac tangential component of the electric field in a nonlinear resistive SGT on medium voltage form-wound motor coils can be predicted from the field dependent electrical conductivity and the frequency. However, the SCLF theory cannot predict the total electric field (vector sum of the tangential and normal components) in the air adjacent to the surface of the tapes. Simulations of the electric field using a finite element method (FEM), is one of the best ways of finding the resultant electric field distribution in the air space adjacent to the SGT. However, prior to this study, researchers simplified the modelling of the stress relief system to avoid the convergence problems that develop due to the nonlinearity of the SGT conductivity as a function of the electric field, and also because of the geometry and dimensions of the tapes when their depths are orders of magnitude smaller than the other dimensions associated with form-wound coils. For modelling the stress grading (SG) system at power frequency and at the rated voltage, the dc isotropic conductivity of the SGT and CAT has also been extensively investigated. However, relatively little work has been done with respect to the ac electrical behaviour of these materials and dc modelling cannot reflect the effects of high-frequency stresses on the machine insulation. In this study, comprehensive transient FEM modelling has been developed in order to simulate the insulation system with nonlinear field dependent materials. The actual dimensions of the components are applied in the model, and the appropriate material parameters for the FEM simulations are extracted from the experimental test results. One crucial point that has not been considered in previous studies is the effect of the component of the electric field that is normal to the surface of the coil. In most studies, only the tangential component of the electric field is considered; however, in this study, both components and the resultant electric field are computed. The surface tangential field is calculated with reference to the gradient of the surface potential as measured with an electrostatic voltmeter. It is shown that this technique can provide a reasonable estimate for the tangential field along the SG system, but not without limitations, which are discussed in detail. Based on laboratory work and analytical analysis, this research has successfully determined the relationship between the thermal effect of the PWM voltage and the other repetitive fast pulses, such as square wave and impulse voltages. The influence of the pulse characteristics on the development of stresses has also thoroughly investigated, and the results are presented. A coupled electric and thermal model that incorporates the finite element method (FEM) is used as a means of studying thermal stresses and determining appropriate remedies. However, using transient analysis as an approach for finding the temperature profile associated with high repetitive impulses (1-10 kHz) and fast rise times (~200 ns) is both difficult and impractical. According to these considerations, an alternative method has been developed from stationary analyses based on two sinusoidal voltages of different frequencies. The frequency and amplitude of these sinusoids are measured relative to the switching frequency, signal power, and nonlinearity of the system, and the results of the simulation are then verified experimentally, thus showing the efficacy of this method. This research also concluded that a capacitive SG system with conductive foil embedded in the groundwall insulation can be a practical alternative to a conventional SGT of form-wound coils in inverter fed motors. The performance of the capacitive SG scheme is independent of frequency and can therefore provide the required mitigation of the stress caused by repetitive fast pulses. The results of the evaluation of this system with respect to qualification tests demonstrate the effectiveness of the system.

Pulse width modulation (PWM) voltage source converters (VSC) are one type of motor drives that have become popular because they enable precise control of speed and torque in medium voltage motors. However, these drives are known to have adverse effects on the insulation system particularly on conductive armour tape (CAT) and semi-conductive stress grading tape (SGT). These tapes, which are crucial components of the insulation system, control the surface electrical stresses in the stator slot and in the end portion of the form-wound coils outside the grounded stator. The material properties of CAT and SGT and the methods by which they are applied on form-wound motor coils are traditionally designed for power frequency, or a 60 Hz sinusoidal voltage. However, because of the high frequencies associated with the repetition rate and the fast rise time of the PWM pulses, elevated electrical and thermal stresses develop in these tapes, which can lead to premature insulation failure. Little research has been conducted with respect to understanding the mechanism of dielectric heating as a function of frequency and repetitive pulse characteristics. The material characterization of CAT and SGT is a vital part of an investigation of the performance of the stress relief system at high frequencies. In this study, the anisotropic dielectric properties of CAT and SGT have been measured in dc and ac and in low and high electric fields. The laboratory experiments for determining the material characteristics are discussed and the results analyzed. According to the ac space charge limited field (SCLF) theory, the maximum ac tangential component of the electric field in a nonlinear resistive SGT on medium voltage form-wound motor coils can be predicted from the field dependent electrical conductivity and the frequency. However, the SCLF theory cannot predict the total electric field (vector sum of the tangential and normal components) in the air adjacent to the surface of the tapes. Simulations of the electric field using a finite element method (FEM), is one of the best ways of finding the resultant electric field distribution in the air space adjacent to the SGT. However, prior to this study, researchers simplified the modelling of the stress relief system to avoid the convergence problems that develop due to the nonlinearity of the SGT conductivity as a function of the electric field, and also because of the geometry and dimensions of the tapes when their depths are orders of magnitude smaller than the other dimensions associated with form-wound coils. For modelling the stress grading (SG) system at power frequency and at the rated voltage, the dc isotropic conductivity of the SGT and CAT has also been extensively investigated. However, relatively little work has been done with respect to the ac electrical behaviour of these materials and dc modelling cannot reflect the effects of high-frequency stresses on the machine insulation. In this study, comprehensive transient FEM modelling has been developed in order to simulate the insulation system with nonlinear field dependent materials. The actual dimensions of the components are applied in the model, and the appropriate material parameters for the FEM simulations are extracted from the experimental test results. One crucial point that has not been considered in previous studies is the effect of the component of the electric field that is normal to the surface of the coil. In most studies, only the tangential component of the electric field is considered; however, in this study, both components and the resultant electric field are computed. The surface tangential field is calculated with reference to the gradient of the surface potential as measured with an electrostatic voltmeter. It is shown that this technique can provide a reasonable estimate for the tangential field along the SG system, but not without limitations, which are discussed in detail. Based on laboratory work and analytical analysis, this research has successfully determined the relationship between the thermal effect of the PWM voltage and the other repetitive fast pulses, such as square wave and impulse voltages. The influence of the pulse characteristics on the development of stresses has also thoroughly investigated, and the results are presented. A coupled electric and thermal model that incorporates the finite element method (FEM) is used as a means of studying thermal stresses and determining appropriate remedies. However, using transient analysis as an approach for finding the temperature profile associated with high repetitive impulses (1-10 kHz) and fast rise times (~200 ns) is both difficult and impractical. According to these considerations, an alternative method has been developed from stationary analyses based on two sinusoidal voltages of different frequencies. The frequency and amplitude of these sinusoids are measured relative to the switching frequency, signal power, and nonlinearity of the system, and the results of the simulation are then verified experimentally, thus showing the efficacy of this method. This research also concluded that a capacitive SG system with conductive foil embedded in the groundwall insulation can be a practical alternative to a conventional SGT of form-wound coils in inverter fed motors. The performance of the capacitive SG scheme is independent of frequency and can therefore provide the required mitigation of the stress caused by repetitive fast pulses. The results of the evaluation of this system with respect to qualification tests demonstrate the effectiveness of the system.

Immunology plays an important role in many ocular disorders. With Evolution, some major organs are able to hide from the immune system. Ocular immune privilege (OIP) can be defined as the ability to raise immune tolerance against an antigen (Ag) when this Ag is placed in specific areas of the eye. Despite the presence of OIP, RPE cells transplanted to the subretinal space (SRS) encounter immune rejection. Specifically, posterior segment autoimmune uveitis (AIU) is a sight-threatening disorder affecting the working-age population. It could be defined as the alteration of OIP that allows retinal auto-antigen recognition by the immune system. Blood-retinal barrier (BRB) breakdown plays a central role in AIU, leading to invasion of leukocytes to the eye. Animal models of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) play a major place in the comprehension of AIU, with correlations to human clinic. Using anti-inflammatory gene transfer to the eye with secreted proteins, different groups significantly reduced EAU development. SOCS1, being a natural intracellular down-regulator of IFNγ pathway and interacting on other cascades, appeared to be an interesting candidate.<p><p>We herein propose to study different therapeutical paradigms for intraocular inflammation using anti-inflammatory gene transfer to the retina.<p>Transfer of immuno-modulatory genes in RPE cells prior to their transplantation into the subretinal space could be useful to reduce immune rejection. We thus compared in vitro adeno-associated viral (AAV) gene transfer to a human immortalised RPE cell-line (ARPE-19) and primary cells (hRPE), to modify their genetic properties. We investigated 3 different serotypes and promoters in vitro, before evaluating a SOCS1 gene transfer to decrease immunogenicity of ARPE-19 cells in a xenograft rat model. We showed that AAV2 efficiently transduced at least 60% of ARPE-19 and hRPE cells, by comparison with the AAV1 and 5. In dividing ARPE-19 cells, mean-fluorescent intensity of CMV-driven gene expression was higher as compared to chicken beta-actin (CAG) and tetracycline inducible (TetON) promoters, but quickly decreased with time whereas CAG was more stable. AAV2-CAG-SOCS1 infection of ARPE-19 cells significantly decreased IFNγ-induced MHC II expression. In a last experiment, we infected in vitro ARPE-19 cells, using AAV2-CAG-SOCS1, prior to their delivery into the SRS of Lewis rats, and compared it with AAV2-CAG-eGFP-infected cells or non-infected cells. Since our preliminary results were not conclusive due to technical limitations, more extended investigations are necessary.<p>In another part, we developed a clinical grading system (CGS) to efficiently score EAU development in mice fundus. Particularly, we introduced the concept of active and inactive inflammation. However, some differences between CGS and histological (HGS) grading systems were pointed out to better characterise weaknesses of each method. We thus enhanced our CGS to reduce discrepancies with HGS but will need further investigations to obtain comparable grading systems.<p>Finally, we examined in vivo effects of a SOCS1 overexpression on EAU development, following AAV2-CAG-SOCS1 intravitreal (IVit) delivery in right eyes. We first tried two different intraocular routes of injections in this inflammatory model and showed IVit delivery to be the less traumatic. Due to important animal variabilities in EAU, SOCS1 overexpression did not lead to a significant reduction of inflammation when compared to GFP as a whole. However, our design study, allowing to compare injected versus non injected eyes, furthermore revealed IVit injection side effects with pro-inflammatory reaction due to the injection of AAV2-CAG-eGFP itself. In order to reduce the impact of inter-animal variability, we standardized the data by comparing the mean of ratios of injected over non-injected eyes (I/NI) for each animal rather than absolute values. We showed a significant reduction of the clinical and histological scores of the SOCS1 group as compared to the GFP group that was even stronger in the AAV2-targeted parts of the eyes. However, we missed a saline control to corroborate using our GFP group as a control and will need to introduce in a close future some bilateral injections to validate the use of the mean of grading ratios of I/NI in our experiments. Particularly, we showed a different pattern of MHC II positive invading cells in the ciliary body between SOCS1 treated and non-treated eyes. Further investigations are necessary to confirm and characterise SOCS1 protective mechanism in EAU. / Doctorat en Sciences médicales / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Duet playing should form an integral part of the development of all young pianists. Personal development, reduction of performance anxiety and skills such as listening, rhythmic stability and sight-reading are but a few components that can be improved through duet playing. Piano playing is mostly a lonely activity and one of the best ways to counteract this isolation is to become involved in collaborative musicianship through duet playing. The piano duet has an extended history, beginning in the Pre-Baroque and reaching its pinnacle during the Romantic period. After dwindling interest in the early twentieth century, renewed attention has recently been given internationally to duet playing and composition, resulting in large numbers of new duet publications. It is a matter of concern that duet playing is sadly neglected in the tuition of many beginners. This may be due to factors such as lack of knowledge of duet repertoire, difficulty in obtaining such repertoire and problems with incorporating still another aspect in the piano lesson. To provide some guidelines for the teacher, practical considerations such as partner compatibility, leadership, repertoire and publication choice, memorising, page turning and the preparation process have been investigated. Technical aspects are dealt with because adjustments are needed during duet playing compared to solo playing. These include seating, the position of the arms and hands, fingering, dynamic variety, balance, timing and the use of pedal. A factor contributing to the neglect of incorporating duet playing in teaching seems to be the difficulty in sourcing appropriate repertoire. Duet publications generally offer only limited guidelines concerning grading whereas duet repertoire lists include mostly advanced compositions using undefined grading over a broad spectrum. Beginner repertoire is seldom referred to in duet repertoire lists, which complicates the process of finding appropriate beginner repertoire. The fact that sheet music suppliers only have a limited variety of duet publications available exacerbates the problem. The researcher has endeavoured to find a solution for this problem by devising a selective syllabus of beginner duets. Because no relevant grading system is available, such a system had to be devised. The publications of six well-known piano beginner methods were analysed to establish the basic sequence in which musical concepts are introduced to the beginner pianist. Following these guidelines a grading system of eight levels has been developed. A search for duet repertoire has been undertaken by scrutinising a piano curriculum, various piano duet examination syllabi as well as the researcher’s duet collection, and by investigating the availability of repertoire in libraries, sheet music suppliers and on the Internet. Subsequently suitable duets were played and graded. The outcome of this dissertation is a suggested graded duet syllabus for the beginner pianist. A compact disc of selected piano duets performed by the author and a partner is included. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Music / unrestricted

The aim of this qualitative study was to description and interpretation of experiences and perceptions of teachers working with students who have challenging behaviours in various types of school settings in Poland. Teachers’ experiences and perceptions provided insights and understandings into action strategies, in the case of the teachers who were interviewed, their assessing student difficulties and the effectiveness of various behavioural interventions. The data obtained from teacher interviews revealed their classroom management practices as well as their perceptions on the efficacy of their respective schoolwide practices for supporting students with behaviour support needs.

This item contains the agenda, minutes, and attachments for the Faculty Senate meeting on this date. There may be additional materials from the meeting available at the Faculty Center.