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The 2002 Supreme Court decision (Atkins vs. Virginia, 536 U. S. 304), prohibiting the execution of mentally retarded persons, may potentially increase malingering of mental retardation (MR). There is limited research addressing the detection of feigned MR. The present study compared results from tests of intelligence, adaptive functioning, legal/courtroom knowledge, and psychiatric and neurocognitive feigning to determine how effectively these instruments discriminate between MR participants and community volunteers asked to either approach the test honestly (CVH group) or feign, or malinger, MR (CVM group). CVMs suppressed their IQ scores sufficiently to appear MR. CVMs overestimated deficits on individuals with genuine MR on tests of adaptive functioning and courtroom knowledge. Psychiatric feigning instruments did not discriminate between MR and CVM groups. Neurocognitive feigning instruments discriminated between groups, however specificity and Positive Predictive Power were unacceptably low. Revising cutting scores to hold specificity at .95 improved PPP significantly, suggesting the potential utility of these instruments to detect feigned mental retardation. Results from this study suggest that applying published decision rules to MR populations on tests commonly used in forensic neuropsychological evaluations will likely result in a high rate of false positive errors. Given the high stakes associated with classification errors in capital cases involving MR defendants, alternative cutting scores appropriate for this population should be determined.

In 1995 Charles Timothy Sivils completed his study, "Notable Percussion Excerpts of the Twentieth Century Wind-Band Literature." Sivils' intention was to create a formal list of percussion excerpts from substantial, originally composed wind-band literature that could supplement the study of orchestral excerpts. However, because of the continuingly increasing amount of literature being written and published for wind-bands, Sivils' original list no longer reflects recent or current trends in percussion writing for the wind-band. The objective of this study is to expand upon Sivils' excerpt list.The parameters outlined in Sivils' document have been adopted for this study with only minor adjustments. This paper will examine only the following wind-band compositions: (1) Compositions written between 1980 and 2005; (2) Compositions generally considered part of the standard wind-band repertoire; (3) Compositions originally conceived for the wind-band; (4) Compositions which do not feature a soloist in a concerto format; (5) compositions that are considered "concert marches" or movements entitled "March" from a multi-movement work.To provide the author with a body of information from which to start the research, a survey was sent to approximately forty wind-band conductors and percussionists throughout the United States asking them to list pieces, following the parameters previously outlined, from the wind-band repertoire that they feel contain the most significant percussion excerpts. Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed responded. Twenty-four of the suggested works were included in this study, creating a combined list of seventy-six excerpts from this and Sivils' document.Through the use of music notation software, a portion of each part has been reproduced as it appears in the original score. No attempt has been made to correct misprints or improve upon the composer's original notation. The excerpts have been formatted to create a single practicable part that contains all of the concerns discussed in the preceding pages. As with Sivils' study, a major component of this project has been to make the performer aware of these excerpts and to give insights into their performance. / School of Music

Am 8. Dezember 1747 feierte die sächsische Kurfürstin und polnische Königin Maria Josepha (1699–1757) ihren 48. Geburtstag. Zu diesem Anlass verfasste ihre Schwiegertochter Maria Antonia Walpurgis den Text der Kantate »Che ti dirò Regina«. Die sächsische Kurprinzessin hatte den ältesten Sohn des Herrscherpaares, Friedrich Christian (1722–1763), im gleichen Jahr geheiratet und war im Juni nach Dresden gekommen.

L'objectif de cette thèse est d'analyser la fabrique des politiques scientifiques en Suisse. Dans ce but, un accent particulier a été mis sur la politique du Fonds national suisse de la recherche scientifique (FNS) qui représente l'une des plus importantes sources de financement publique de recherche en Suisse. La thèse est divisée en deux parties.La première explique la manière dont différents acteurs participent à l'élaboration et à la légitimation de nouveaux instruments d'action publique dans le domaine de la recherche. Ces instruments visent non seulement à modifier l'organisation institutionnelle et la finalité de la recherche mais également à transformer les représentations des chercheurs. Ainsi, dans l'étude des " Pôles de recherche nationaux " (PRN), mis en place par le Fonds national (FNS) à la fin des années 1990, nous avons considéré cet instrument en tant que porteur d'un discours normatif qui propose de nouveaux critères d'évaluation de l'excellence scientifique. En effet, ces nouveaux critères ne reposent plus seulement sur la qualité scientifique de la recherche, mais également sur la qualité managériale de son organisation. Un tel modèle normatif articule logique de la découverte et de l'expérimentation, d'une part, et logique de l'efficience et de la productivité, de l'autre.La seconde partie analyse la manière dont les chercheurs, financés par ce programme de recherche, interprètent, négocient et traduisent ce nouveau cadre d'interprétation dans le contexte de leurs pratiques. Une approche en terme de " catégorisation identitaire " a permis d'analyser les " médiations " entre la politique du Fonds national, via son programme " Pôles de recherche nationaux ", et les pratiques de recherche des membres d'un laboratoire. Nous montrons ainsi que les catégories identitaires ont notamment été mobilisées pour la constitution, le contrôle et la promotion de collectifs.Cette double perspective analytique permet, selon nous, de rendre compte de l'efficacité d'instruments d'action publique tels que les " Pôles de recherche nationaux " en les comprenant à la fois comme des discours et des technique de pouvoir, à savoir des technologies de gouvernement.

The purpose of this study was to contribute research literature for readers interested in the exemplary curricular content and processes found in the beginning string classes of selected Indiana middle/junior high schools. Roots for this descriptive study were: (1) principles of Discipline-Based Music Education (DBME), (2) related literature written by expert music education theorists, (3) research data contributed by general education theorists, (4) data gathered from the business world supporting quality endeavors and (5) views of randomly- selected Indiana string education practitioners regarding their frequencies-of-use of the DBME components (in the Indiana 1994 Music Curriculum Guide) to guide students in attaining the eighteen proficiencies ( in the Indiana 1987 Music Curriculum Guide).The sample for the study consisted of sixty Indiana teachers of beginning middle/junior high school string classes (grades five through eight). Thirty-nine educators responded to the survey. The writer developed an original questionnaire to find which curriculum guide(s) the teachers had and how frequently they used the DBME components-criticism, history, aesthetics and production-to guide their students to attain the eighteen proficiencies listed in the 1987 Indiana curriculum guide.Circumstances proved favorable for the writer to formally visit and observe eight teachers working with classes at their schools. Qualitative observations controlled by three objective documents provided criteria to describe the processes apparent during the visits.This study indicated the following favored perspectives for teaching the eighteen proficiencies-in order: production, criticism, aesthetics and history. An in-service to describe the purpose and extensions of the plan might ease any apprehension of this new framework for teaching music as a core subject. The data suggested that fifty-four percent of the sample may be using the components of the DBME paradigm.Proficiency guidance was noted as lacking in attention regarding horizontal and vertical form, instrumental family sounds, basic interpretive skills, improvisation, composing and arranging, conducting, evaluation and developing an understanding of the role of music as an avocation and career. Perhaps, an approach stimulated by the framework of DBME will allow a stretch into these proficiencies and ignite new understandings. / School of Music

Over the past few decades, the nature of work has undergone remarkable changes, resulting in a shift from manual demands to mental and emotional demands on employees. In order to manage these demands and optimise employee performance, organisations use well-being surveys to guide their interventions. Because these interventions have a drastic financial implication it is important to ensure the validity and reliability of the results. However, even if a validated measuring instrument is used, the problem remains that wellness audits might be reliable, valid and equivalent when the results of a group of people are analysed, but cannot be guaranteed for each individual. It is therefore important to determine the validity and reliability of individual measurements (i.e. protocol validity). However, little information exists concerning the efficiency of different methods to evaluate protocol validity. The general objective of this study was to establish an efficient, real-time method/indicator for determining protocol validity in web-based instruments. The study sample consisted of 14 592 participants from several industries in South Africa and was extracted from a work-related well-being survey archive. A protocol validity indicator that detects random responses was developed and evaluated. It was also investigated whether Item Response Theory (IRT) fit statistics have the potential to serve as protocol validity indicators and this was compared to the newly developed protocol validity indicator. The developed protocol validity indicator makes use of neural networks to predict whether cases have protocol validity. A neural network was trained on a large non-random sample and a computer-generated random sample. The neural network was then cross-validated to see whether posterior cases can be accurately classified as belonging to the random or non-random sample. The neural network proved to be effective in detecting 86,39% of the random responses and 85,85% of the non-random responses correctly. Analyses on the misclassified cases demonstrated that the neural network was accurate because non-random classified cases were in fact valid and reliable, while random classified cases showed a problematic factor structure and low internal consistency. Neural networks proved to be an effective technique for the detection of potential invalid and unreliable cases in electronic well-being surveys. Subsequently, the protocol validity detection capability of IRT fit statistics was investigated. The fit statistics were calculated for the study population and for random generated data with a uniform distribution. In both the study population and the random data, cases with higher outfit statistics showed problems with validity and reliability. When compared to the neural network technique, the fit statistics suggested that the neural network was more effective in classifying non-random cases than it was in classifying random cases. Overall, the fit statistics proved to be effective indicators of protocol invalidity (rather than validity) provided that some additional measures be imposed. Recommendations were made for the organisation as well as with a view to future research. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Resource Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Over the past few decades, the nature of work has undergone remarkable changes, resulting in a shift from manual demands to mental and emotional demands on employees. In order to manage these demands and optimise employee performance, organisations use well-being surveys to guide their interventions. Because these interventions have a drastic financial implication it is important to ensure the validity and reliability of the results. However, even if a validated measuring instrument is used, the problem remains that wellness audits might be reliable, valid and equivalent when the results of a group of people are analysed, but cannot be guaranteed for each individual. It is therefore important to determine the validity and reliability of individual measurements (i.e. protocol validity). However, little information exists concerning the efficiency of different methods to evaluate protocol validity. The general objective of this study was to establish an efficient, real-time method/indicator for determining protocol validity in web-based instruments. The study sample consisted of 14 592 participants from several industries in South Africa and was extracted from a work-related well-being survey archive. A protocol validity indicator that detects random responses was developed and evaluated. It was also investigated whether Item Response Theory (IRT) fit statistics have the potential to serve as protocol validity indicators and this was compared to the newly developed protocol validity indicator. The developed protocol validity indicator makes use of neural networks to predict whether cases have protocol validity. A neural network was trained on a large non-random sample and a computer-generated random sample. The neural network was then cross-validated to see whether posterior cases can be accurately classified as belonging to the random or non-random sample. The neural network proved to be effective in detecting 86,39% of the random responses and 85,85% of the non-random responses correctly. Analyses on the misclassified cases demonstrated that the neural network was accurate because non-random classified cases were in fact valid and reliable, while random classified cases showed a problematic factor structure and low internal consistency. Neural networks proved to be an effective technique for the detection of potential invalid and unreliable cases in electronic well-being surveys. Subsequently, the protocol validity detection capability of IRT fit statistics was investigated. The fit statistics were calculated for the study population and for random generated data with a uniform distribution. In both the study population and the random data, cases with higher outfit statistics showed problems with validity and reliability. When compared to the neural network technique, the fit statistics suggested that the neural network was more effective in classifying non-random cases than it was in classifying random cases. Overall, the fit statistics proved to be effective indicators of protocol invalidity (rather than validity) provided that some additional measures be imposed. Recommendations were made for the organisation as well as with a view to future research. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Resource Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This PhD thesis describes the design and development of a new resonator based tactile sensitive probe. This new sensor was proposed because of the increasing need for high-sensitivity, high-speed touch-sensitive probes in coordinate metrology due to the ever-growing demand for precision and reliability at sub-micron level accuracy. Extensive background research on the current development of touch trigger probes has shown that designs based on the resonator principle have potential for minimising lobing effects and the false triggering associated with most commercially available probes. Resonant based sensors have been investigated over many decades and used very successfully in a wide range of applications. However their commercial exploitation in the field of precision engineering has not been particularly successful. One reason for such slow progress is the complexity of the interaction between oscillatory probes and typical engineering surfaces in less than ideal environments. The main aim of this research was to design a high precision resonator based tactile sensitive probe and to investigate the causes of parametric changes on resonant touch sensors both before and during contact with a variety of engineering surfaces in order to achieve a better understanding of contact mechanisms. The four main objectives were: preliminary design and characterisation of a resonator based touch sensor; development of the mathematical model which predicts parametric changes on a resonant probe considering both near surface effects and mechanical contact; experimental verification of mathematical predictions; and an investigation into possible commercial exploitation of the new probe in precision applications. A novel resonator based tactile sensor that utilises the piezoelectric effect was designed and characterised. The design exploits the fact that when a stiff element (probe) oscillating near or at its resonance frequency comes into contact with the surface of another body (workpiece), the frequency of vibrational resonance of the probe changes depending on the properties of the workpiece. The phase-locked loop frequency detection technique was employed to track changes in frequency as well as in the phase of the resonant system. The initial characterisation of the touch sensor has shown a sensitivity to contact of less then 4 mN, a high triggering rate and good repeatability. The potential for application in measuring material properties was also demonstrated. As a result of the characterisation a comprehensive mathematical model was developed. This novel model was based on Hertzian contact mechanics, Rayleigh's approximate energy method and work carried out by Smith and Chetwynd on the analysis of elastic contact of a sphere on a flat. The model predicts that phase and frequency shift of a resonator based sensor can either increase or decrease depending on the dominant phenomena (added mass, stiffness and damping) in the contact region. Observation of dynamic characteristics at either side of the resonant frequency can be used to identify the predominant effect. In order to confirm the model experimentally, another prototype probe was developed. The new sensor was engaged in observations of contact mechanisms with engineering surfaces. The experimental results have showed favourable agreement with the developed mathematical model. This enabled a better understanding of contact phenomena uncovering possibilities for the application of resonant sensors in many other areas. The research has shown that the new probe has potential in contact measurements where it can be used for the quantitative assessment of the physical properties of different materials (modulus of elasticity, density and energy dissipation) and also in non-destructive hardness testing. It was shown that the device can be successfully used in coordinate metrology as a touch trigger probe and as a 3D vector probe. Finally, applications can also be found in surface topography as a surface characterisation instrument. It is intended that the research described in this thesis will make an important contribution in the area of resonator based probes, providing a better understanding of the causes of parametric changes on the oscillatory sensor during contact with the object being measured. Consequently, this will enable a more effective exploitation of resonant probes for a broad range of precision applications.

The growth of thrust and improved aeroengine efficiency has been gained by increased temperatures throughout the engine. This has been achieved by improved material technology and the continuous cooling of components complemented by the addition of thermal barrier coatings (TBC) to turbine and combustion chamber components. The aggressive nature of the application process of the TBC has previously made the measurement of metal surface temperature and strain exceedingly difficult on components to which it is applied. In the present study magnetron sputter-deposited thin film sensor techniques have been developed specifically for compressor and turbine applications of noble metal thermocouples and strain gauges. The deposition, patterning and evaluation of reactively sputtered aluminium oxide, type R platinum thermocouples as well as PdCr and PtW dynamic strain gauges is reported. A sputtered NiCoCrAlY coating has been developed to replace the vacuum plasma spray process currently used in the TBC system. The most favourable location for the thin film sensor is at the metal/ceramic interface of the TBC system. However, in order to protect the sensor from the aggressive TBC process, the sensor has been deposited in a novel installation between two layers of NiCoCrAlY bond coat. Several trials have been performed to fabricate this package on turbine blade material substrates. This work has demonstrated that the proposed sensor structure is feasible. However there are problems with delamination due to contamination and residual stress and with poor electrical insulation and these have limited the high temperature testing that could be performed. The novel techniques developed are already being utilised in measurement applications on components without TBCs. This work has been performed in an industrial context. The extensive project and risk management activities are reported.