Recently, in communication system, fiber optics has become a most interesting development tool as a transmission medium. It first appeared as a feasible transmission medium in 1970. The reason for the development in fiber optics comes from the overwhelming advantage in technology and economy compared to wires and coaxial links. For technology progress, typically, optical fiber has a wide transmission band-width (0.1-1000 GHz), lower loss per unit length (0.15 – 5 dB km ^-1[1]), and does not allow electromagnetic interference. For example, signal transmitted over commercial silica-based fiber must be reamplified every 10 to 50 kilometers, whereas signals transmitted over copper wires must be reamplified every 4 to 6 kilometers. The economical advantage are as follows: a typical cable fiber weighs only about 3 kg/km; cost under $500/km or less, and has a longer repeater spacing of up to 100 km or more at a data rate of at least several hundred megabits per second. Because the optical fibers meet both demands, it has enabled us to construct high bit-rate and long haul communication systems in metropolitan area.

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This study addresses student attitudes about open badges (after having been required to earn badges as part of their course work or having earned them through the library) and their desire to earn additional optional badges offered across campus. Research has presented conflicting evidence about the potential effect of open badges on student motivation, usually studying students who have had no previous experience with open badges. However, research has also found that open badges are still largely new and unknown for many people, which may affect initial motivation to earn badges. For this reason, our study considered the potential impact that prior exposure to and earning of open badges could have on students' attitudes toward open badges. Our findings are that student motivation to earn additional badges is increased after prior exposure depending on the badge design, badge implementation, and student understanding of how open badges function. We found that students who earned badges through the library software training program had the highest motivation, followed by Ed Tech class students.

No / Membership in a protein domain database does not a domain make; a feature we realized when generating a consensus view of protein fold space with our consensus domain dictionary (CDD). This dictionary was used to select representative structures for characterization of the protein dynameome: the Dynameomics initiative. Through this endeavor we rejected a surprising 40% of the 1,695 folds in the CDD as being non-autonomous folding units. Although some of this was due to the challenges of grouping similar fold topologies, the dissonance between the cataloguing and structural qualification of protein domains remains surprising. Another potential factor is previously overlooked intrinsic disorder; predictions suggest that 40% of proteins have either local or global disorder. One thing is clear, filtering a structural database and ensuring a consistent definition for protein domains is crucial, and caution is prescribed when generalizations of globular domains are drawn from unfiltered protein domain datasets. / NIH

This qualitative study examined educators' perceptions of motivational strategies influencing and motivating middle school students to comprehend and perform in mathematics courses. This study used interview data from 15 participants with 2 to 30 years of teaching experience. Educators may utilize this information in multiple settings within the classroom to influence and motivate students in mathematics courses. Data collection strategies included one-on-one semi-structured middle school educator interviews. Analysis of data occurred in three phases: (a) categorization of data under the five organizational factors, (b) building the explanation in narrative form, and (c) re-examination of the data. The analysis of the phenomenological study data was based on the theoretical framework of the achievement goal theories - the differences in how people judge their perceptions of competence (Nicholls, 1984) and TARGET structures (Task, Authority, Rewards, Grouping, Evaluation, and Time) (Epstein, 1989). The credibility of the analysis was protected by triangulation of data through multiple sources of evidence, establishment of a chain of evidence, and member checking. The results revealed that current and innovative motivational strategies influenced students in middle school mathematics. The results revealed how educators motivate middle school students through traditional and non-traditional strategies. Five themes emerged from the interview data analysis that contribute to the motivation of middle school students: (1) internal motivation, (2) external motivation, (3) building thinking classrooms, (4) student choice, and (5) building relationships.

A study of the effect of shear rate on the inherent and intrinsic viscosities of polystyrene fractions, in dilute solution was carried out. Inherent viscosities were determined for five fractions (of molecular weights ranging from 2.9 x 10 to 4.8 x 106); in three solvents (Benzene, Toluene and Methyl Ethyl Ketone); at five temperatures (from 15°C to 85°C); and shear rates ranging from 1.0 x 103 to 2.8 x 104 sec.-1. Inherent viscosities thus determined were extrapolated to zero rate of shear and the extrapolated values plotted against concentration to determine intrinsic viscosities at zero rate of shear, [N] D=0 The inherent viscosity decreased with increasing shear rate. The slope of the curve of inherent viscosity vs shear rate was found to increase (ie become more negative) with increasing concentration, temperature and molecular weight and to be less in a poor solvent than in a good solvent. At very high molecular weights the value of inherent viscosity was found to decrease non-linearly with shear rate. The intrinsic viscosity was found to decrease with increasing shear rate. The slope of the [N] vs D curve was found to increase with increasing molecular weight and decreasing temperature; the slopes were smaller the poorer the solvent. For the three lower fractions the intrinsic viscosity was found to decrease with increasing temperature, very slightly in Methyl Ethyl Ketone and appreciably in Benzene and Toluene, the relative being greater at higher molecular weights. With the two highest fractions this trend was reversed. The slope of the [N] D=0 vs T curve becoming less negative (and actually positive for Benzene end Toluene). The [N] vs T curves ( [N] at free fall) for the three lower fractions were parallel to those at zero rate of shears but of lower intrinsic viscosity values. With the two highest fractions, the slope of the [N] vs T curve became less negative but not to as great a degree as was found with [N] D=0 vs curves. Intrinsic viscosities obtained at zero rate of shear were applied to the Flory-Fox theory. Calculated intrinsic viscosities for polystyrene fractions in Benzene and Toluene were found to agree to within+-4% of the experimental results. For Methyl Ethyl Ketone a wide variation in values was obtained. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

Privately owned lands provide a number of benefits to humans, including food, clean air and water, and building materials. Private lands are also home to a host of wildlife species and the habitats that they rely upon for survival. As such, balancing human and ecological needs on private lands is of critical importance. Stewardship is a term popularly used to refer to this balanced approach of managing land for a host of benefits. When landowners lack the interest, ability, or willingness to incorporate stewardship into their management strategies, incentives are often provided to spur greater conservation outcomes. This two-part case study is focused on private land stewardship. Using qualitative data analysis, I first examined the behaviors that a sample of production-oriented ranchers defined as stewardship. I then explored the environmental values underlying their behaviors. Utilitarian values dominated the four broad themes that emerged from respondents' operationalization of stewardship, including: maintaining economically productive rangelands, protecting water resources, maintaining an aesthetically pleasing property, and providing for wildlife. Next, I sought to better understand the impact of incentives on durable conservation behaviors. As incentives can reduce intrinsic motivation, I used Self-Determination Theory as a framework for surveying participants in an existing conservation incentive program. The results suggest that landowners maintained their willingness to continue protecting a threatened bird species following the removal of an incentive. Each paper concludes with an analysis of findings within the context of the empirical literature, and present potential practical implications for future conservation efforts. / Master of Science

Spinal stability describes the ability of the neuromuscular system to maintain equilibrium in the presence of kinematic and control variability, and may play an important role in the etiology of low-back disorders (LBDs). The primary mechanism for the neuromuscular control of spinal stability is the recruitment and control of active paraspinal muscle stiffness (i.e., trunk stiffness). The two major components of active muscle stiffness include the immediate stiffness contribution provided by the intrinsic stiffness of actively contracted muscles, and the delayed stiffness contribution provided by the reflex response. The combined behavior of these two components of active muscle stiffness is often referred to as "effective stiffness". In order to understand the neuromuscular control of spinal stability, stochastic system identification methods were utilized and nonparametric impulse response functions (IRFs) calculated in three separate studies in an effort to: 1) Quantify the effective dynamics (stiffness, damping, mass) of the trunk Nonparametric IRFs were implemented to estimate the dynamics of the trunk during active voluntary trunk extension exertions. IRFs were determined from the movement following pseudo-random stochastic force disturbances applied to the trunk. Results demonstrated a significant increase in effective stiffness and damping with voluntary exertion forces. 2) Quantify the reflex dynamics of the trunk Nonparametric IRFs were computed from the muscle electromyographic (EMG) reflex response following a similar pseudo-random force disturbance protocol. Reflexes were observed with a mean response delay of 67 msec. Reflex gain was estimated from the peak of the IRF and increased significantly with exertion effort. 3) Separate the intrinsic and reflexive components of the effective dynamics and determine the relative role of each in the control of spinal stability. Both intrinsic muscle and reflexive components of activation contribute to the effective trunk stiffness. To evaluate the relative role of these components, a nonlinear parallel-cascade system identification procedure was used to separate the intrinsic and reflexive dynamics. Results revealed that the intrinsic dynamics of the trunk alone can be insufficient to counteract the destabilizing effects of gravity. This illustrates the extreme importance of reflexive feedback in the maintenance of spinal stability and warrants the inclusion of reflexes in any comprehensive trunk model. / Ph. D.

Lärande och motivation är nära sammankopplade, en motiverad elev tar till sig materialet bättre. Detta är ett område som utforskats under lång tid, men verktygen som tillämpas för att främja lärande har utvecklats och därmed finns nya motivationsfrämjande faktorer som kan utforskas. Idag finns det även digitala läroverktyg. Samspelet mellan teknologi, lärande och motivation är ett intressant och växande forskningsområde. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan upplevelse av gamification (eller tv-spels element som tillämpas inom en annan kontext än ren underhållning) i ett digitalt läroverktyg och användarnas motivation till språklärande. Följande forskningsfrågor har ställts: Finns det gruppskillnader i fråga om motivation mellan personer som är enspråkiga respektive flerspråkiga? Finns det gruppskillnader gällande motivation och åldersgrupper? Finns det ett samband mellan hur högt aktiviteten värderas och motivation kopplad till spelfunktioner? Motiveras personer som drivs av inre motivation av spelfunktioner? Hur beskriver deltagarna sina erfarenheter av gamification kopplat till motivation? Datainsamlingen genomfördes genom en enkät med kvantitativa samt kompletterande kvalitativa frågor. Urvalet bestod av 35 deltagare i åldern 15-42 år, varav 31,4% identifierade sig som män, 62,9% som kvinnor och 5,7% som annan. Dataanalysen skedde i SPSS och visade på en signifikant korrelation mellan aktivitetsvärdering och gamification samt gruppskillnad kopplad till flerspråkighet där gruppen för flerspråkiga uppvisade högre yttre motivation. Inga signifikanta gruppskillnader kopplat till ålder kunde identifieras. Deltagarna var generellt positivt inställda till gamification, men upplevde att liv-systemet motverkade lärandet eftersom användaren förlorar ”liv” när misstag begås och när liven tagit slut stoppas från att fortsätta genomföra lektioner under en viss tid. / Learning and motivation are closely linked; a motivated student will have an easier time learning the material. This is an area that has been researched for a long time, however the tools used to promote learning have evolved and therefore there are new motivational factors that can be explored. Today, digital learning platforms are also being used. The interaction between technology, learning and motivation is an interesting and growing research area. The aim of this study was to examine if there is a relationship between how gamification (or video game elements applied in other contexts than entertainment) is experienced in a digital learning tool and the users’ motivation to learn languages. The following research questions were asked: Are there any group differences in terms of motivation based on multilingualism? Are there any group differences in motivation based on age groups? Is there a correlation between how highly the activity is valued and motivation derived from gamification? Are intrinsically motivated people driven by gamification? How do the participants describe their experiences with gamification in terms of motivation? Data collection was performed through a quantitative survey with some qualitative questions as well. The participant group consisted of 35 participants aged 15-42 years. Of these 31.4% identified themselves as men, 62.9% as women and 5.7% as other. Data analysis was performed in SPSS and showed a significant correlation between activity-value and gamification, as well as a significant group difference based on multilingualism, where multilingual individuals scored higher on extrinsic motivation. No significant differences at group level could be identified based on age. The participants were generally positive towards gamification, but expressed that the life system disrupted their learning, since the users lose lives when they make mistakes, when they run out of lives they are prevented from continuing for a certain time, disrupting learning.

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