Thesis (MS)--University of Montana, 2009. / Title from author supplied metadata. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 182-185). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--York University, 1999. Graduate Programme in Biology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 177-186). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ39179.

Research on the process of writing uses bursts and pauses as key artifacts of underlying cognitive processes. However, the definition of a pause in writing is primarily based on tradition and ease of comparison between studies. This study explores keystroke logging data collected from middle school pupils (N=46) in northern Sweden, Norway and Finland and questions the traditionally defined pause’s usefulness, comparability and validity for investigating the underlying cognitive processes during writing. By examining the raw computer keystroke log data it was revealed that the group had a large variance in typing speed between participants and that different textual contexts had big variances compared to each other. Through exploration of different pause definitions’ effects on the text it was concluded that the twice the median length of pause (median x 2) was a good measurement for investigating pauses in sentences. Further, the 1.5 times the median (median x 1.5) for pauses between keystrokes within words proved useful for investigating the production of individual words. / Forskning på skrivprocesser har länge använt kaskader och pauser som nyckelartefakter av underliggande kognitiva processer. Definitionen av en paus i skrivande är dock främst baserade på tradition och direkt jämförbarhet mellan studier. Denna studie utforskar loggade tangenttrycknings data insamlade från elever (N=46) i mellanstadiet i skolor i norra Sverige, Norge och Finland och ifrågasätter den traditionellt definerade pausens användbarhet, jämförbarhet och validitet för att utforska underliggande kognitiva processer under skrivande. Genom att granska rå-data visade det sig att gruppen som helhet hade stora skillnader i skrivhastighet mellan deltagarna och att olika textuella kontext hade stora skillnader jämfört med varandra. Genom en undersökning av olika paus definitioners effekter på text kom det fram att dubbla längden på medianen för pauser (medianen x 2) var ett bra mått för att undersöka pauser i meningar. Dessutom var 1.5 gånger medianen (medianen x 1.5) i inom-ords kontexter ett användbart mått för att studera produktionen av individuella ord.

Not available / text

This study investigates the distribution and functional guild structure of the bee community in hardwood stands of Algonquin Provincial Park under different logging regimes, assessing both the role of different aspects of the habitat in affecting this distribution and structure, as well as the use of different sampling techniques. The distribution of bee individuals and species was most dependent on the abundance of raspberry (Rubus strigosus), an important floral and nesting resource. Also of importance were total floral resources, microclimate, and habitat heterogeneity. The functional guild structure of the bee community, which was relatively resilient to habitat variation, was related to a greater variety of factors, reflecting wide-ranging behaviours and requirements of different guilds. Malaise traps, pan traps and nets varied in their effectiveness at collecting different bee genera and a high percentage of species were collected only with one trap type. Malaise traps performed relatively poorly in forested environments, though very well in more disturbed, open habitats. Pan traps and nets performed better in forested environments. Trap nests were an inefficient sampling technique in forests, but were effective at collecting some species of cavity-nesting bees. These findings underline the importance of raspberry for bee communities of northern hardwood forests, and the importance of heterogeneity, both of habitat types and sampling techniques, to attain the highest species richness of bees.

The conservation of biological diversity has become one of the most important goals of managing forests in an ecologically sustainable way. In this thesis, I report a comprehensive study designed to examine the long-term effects of commercial logging and high-intensity fire, and the ability of Population Viability Analysis (PVA) models to predict these effects to aid in the conservation and management of multiple species. Initially, I compared the abundance of small mammals (A. agilis, R. fuscipes, A. swainsonii), and lizards (L. delicata, L. guichenoti, E. heatwolei), in sites with different disturbance histories: 18-19 yearold logging regrowth, 28-29 or 33-34 year???old clearfelling regrowth and unlogged forest. All sites had previously been burnt by bushfires. No evidence of long-term effects of logging or fire was found for A. agilis, R. fuscipes, L. delicata or L. guichenoti, and there were not enough data to make conclusions for A. swainsonii and E. heatwolei. Then the effects of a hazard-reduction burn were investigated. There was variation between the species in the effects of the burn, with interactions between year, aspect and burning for A. agilis and R. fuscipes, and interactions between year, disturbance and topography for the Lampropholis species. A. swainsonii became extremely scarce in the forest after the burn and E. heatwolei were generally unaffected. Next, PVA metapopulation models were used to predict the likely abundance and patch occupancy of these species based on historical data. Retrospective testing showed the models were accurate for all species, but best for A. agilis and R. fuscipes. Lastly, PVA modelling was used to rank management options; no management action, a hazard-reduction burn in 2005 or a logging event in 2005. The models predicted that future management is likely to result in the extinction of A. agilis, R. fuscipes and L. guichenoti by 2010. However, no one management scenario was most detrimental to all species. The current management regime for this forest involves commercial logging on a 40-year cycle and regular hazard-reduction burning. PVA modelling predicts that A. swainsonii and L. delicata are at the greatest risk of extinction under this regime, but that it is also likely to lead to the extinction of A. agilis, R. fuscipes and L. guichenoti in the near future. The results of this research indicate that the conservation of multiple species under one management regime is unlikely to be successful.

This study investigates the listening environments of hearing aid users by employing the data logging capacity of their hearing aids. The idea that a hearing aid user's listening environments are important in prescribing desired hearing aid features has been discussed in the literature, however, investigation of listening environments has been limited in the past as it has relied mainly on subjective recordings. Data logging, the capacity of a hearing aid to continuously store information regarding time spent in different programs, listening environments, and microphone modes, is now available in a number of hearing aid models, and therefore provides an objective tool for studying a hearing aid user's listening environments. The data logging information from fifty-seven new hearing aid wearers, including 50 males and 7 females (mean age = 68 years, SD = 11.3), was obtained during the first routine clinic follow-up session for each individual. Measures of time spent in different listening environments, microphone modes, and overall sound levels, were analyzed. Hearing aid usage time was found to be highest in "Speech Only" situations (44.8%), followed by "Quiet" (26.7%), "Noise Only" (16.3%) and "Speech in Noise" (12.3%) situations. The majority of the hearing aid users' time was spent in "Surround" microphone mode (74.3%), followed in order by "Split" (22.3%) and "Full" (3.5%) directional modes. Results of two separate two-way ANOVAs revealed no significant age effect either on time spent in different listening environments [F(3,49) = 0.7, p= 0.5] or on time spent in different microphone modes [F(3,20) = 0.6, p= 0.6]. These findings provide empirical evidence regarding the general listening pattern of hearing aid users, which can be used as a starting point when troubleshooting problems experienced by hearing aid clients, or assessing a user's need for various hearing aid features.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Edith Cowan University, 2006. / Submitted to the Faculty of Computing, Health and Science. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1993. / Typescript (photography). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 111-114). Also available on the World Wide Web.