Within the realm of technical communication, humor has often been regarded as an unnecessary or risky rhetorical device that can negatively impact the credibility of a document. While many other professional fields, such as medicine, computer technology fields, or business have used humor, and humor continues to crop up in "user as producer" documentation, technical writing continues to approach humor cautiously and with little theoretical guidance. In order to fully understand how humor functions, it is important to understand the main theories of humor: superiority, relief, and incongruity. It is also important to understand how humor functions, by looking at Meyer’s four functions of humor: identification, clarification, enforcement, and differentiation. Some primary and secondary manuals have successfully used a rhetorical strategy incorporating humor. Google uses a persona and situated ethos that projects a sense of fun and humor, and incorporates some humor into their documentation. The ""For Dummies"" series is well known and recognized for the situated ethos of providing fun, entertaining direction, while individual authors choose a specific invented ethos for each book written. The three theories of humor and four functions of humor can be applied to humor used in Google and ""For Dummies"". This demonstration better highlights how humor operates and functions in communication, and can provide technical communicators with a tool to use when considering the application of humor in documentation. The application further highlights the need for greater understanding of how humor affects the credibility and success of documentation.

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John Mayer (1929-2004) was a British Indian composer and violinist. Despite his contributions to bringing Indian music to the West and his large output of works, the majority of his compositions remain largely unknown. This document focuses on Mayer's only oboe concerto, Shanai Awaz, which translates to "Sound of the Shanai" in Hindi. It is representative of his fusion of Indian and Western techniques. The performance guide helps the oboist navigate the fusion elements of the piece. Because no piano reduction of the score was made by the composer, the piece has likely not been performed since 1983. A piano reduction of the score was created as part of this dissertation to make it more accessible to oboists.

The criterion groups validity of emotional intelligence according to Mayer & Salovey (1997), ability model of emotional intelligence was investigated. Specifically, psychology (n+207) and engineering (n=195) students were compared on the Mayer, Salovey and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test version 2 (MSCEIT). The primary factor structure of the MSCEIT was found to be valid with some revisions needed in terms of the reliability and content of the MSCEIT. The second-order factor structure of the MSCEIT was partially confirmed. In terms of the criterion groups validity of emotional intelligence, psychology students were found to exhibit higher levels of the ability to manage emotions in relationships, the ability to understand emotion as well as the ability to facilitate emotions. Engineering and Psychology students exhibited the same level of general emotional management and the ability to accurately identify emotion. Therefore the construct validity of emotional intelligence was partially confirmed. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The criterion groups validity of emotional intelligence according to Mayer & Salovey (1997), ability model of emotional intelligence was investigated. Specifically, psychology (n+207) and engineering (n=195) students were compared on the Mayer, Salovey and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test version 2 (MSCEIT). The primary factor structure of the MSCEIT was found to be valid with some revisions needed in terms of the reliability and content of the MSCEIT. The second-order factor structure of the MSCEIT was partially confirmed. In terms of the criterion groups validity of emotional intelligence, psychology students were found to exhibit higher levels of the ability to manage emotions in relationships, the ability to understand emotion as well as the ability to facilitate emotions. Engineering and Psychology students exhibited the same level of general emotional management and the ability to accurately identify emotion. Therefore the construct validity of emotional intelligence was partially confirmed. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Мы исследуем термодинамические свойства магнитных жидкостей с небольшими и умеренными значениями параметра диполь-дипольного взаимодействия в отсутствии внешнего магнитного поля. Магнитные жидкости моделируются монодисперсной системой дипольных твердых сфер. Построена теория, основанная на обратном кумулянтном преобразовании вириального разложения свободной энергии Гельмгольца в ряд по плотности. Методом компьютерного моделирования Mayer Sampling получены данные для пятого вириального коэффициента. По данным компьютерного моделирования получены аналитические выражения для четвертого и пятого вириальных коэффициентов. В работе были определены аналитические выражения для свободной энергии, давления, химического потенциала и коэффициента градиентной броуновской диффузии. Построенная теория хорошо согласуется с данными компьютерного моделирования в широкой области концентраций феррочастиц (φ≤4) и интенсивности межчастичного диполь-дипольного взаимодействия (λ≤4). / We investigate thermodynamic properties of ferrofluids with low and intermediate dipolar coupling constant. The model of dipolar hard spheres is observed. In this work a new theory is constructed based on the transformation of the virial expansion for the Helmholtz free energy into a logarithmic form. Analytical expressions of the forth and the fifth virial coefficients are obtained on the basis of numerical results of Mayer-sampling calculation. In this work analytical expressions for free energy, chemical potential, pressure and gradient diffusion coefficient were obtained. The comparison between theory and computer simulation shows good agreement for dipolar coupling constant λ≤4 and for particle volume fraction φ≤4.

Ventrolateral medullary neurons have important roles in cardiorespiratory coordination. A rostral extension of the ventral respiratory column (RVRC), including the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN), has neurons responsive to local perturbations of CO2 / pH. Respiratory-modulated firing patterns of RVRC neurons are attributed to influences of more caudal (CVRC) neurons. These circuits remain poorly understood. This study addressed the hypothesis that both local interactions and influences from the CVRC shape rostral neuron discharge patterns and responses. Spike trains from 294 rostral and 490 caudal neurons were recorded with multi-electrode arrays along with phrenic nerve activity in 14 decerebrate, vagotomized cats. Overall, 214 rostral and 398 caudal neurons were respiratory-modulated; 124 and 95, respectively, were cardiac-modulated. Subsets of these neurons were evaluated for responses to sequential, selective, transient stimulation of central and peripheral chemoreceptors and arterial baroreceptors. In 5 experiments, Mayer wave-related oscillations (MWROs) in neuronal firing rates were evoked, enhanced, or reduced following central chemoreceptor stimulation. Overall, 174 of the rostral neurons (59.5%) had short- time scale correlations with other RVRC neurons. Of these, 49 triggered cross-correlograms with RVRC targets yielding 330 offset features indicative of paucisynaptic actions from a total of 2,884 rostral pairs evaluated. Forty-nine of the CVRC neurons (10.0%) were triggers in 142 CVRC-RVRC correlograms - from a total of 8,490 - with offset features indicative of actions on RVRC neurons. Correlation linkage maps support the hypothesis that local circuit mechanisms contribute to the respiratory and cardiac modulation of RVRC neurons and their responses to chemoreceptor and baroreceptor challenges.

The development of the infant from birth to four years will approximately parallel the stages of development of the profoundly retarded children enrolled in the Development Centers for Handicapped Minors ( DCHM ) in California. The retarded child is a human being and may be assumed to have the same basic equipment as the normal child. If we expand and prolong the development stated of the normal child we will be able to lead the DCHM child through these states in slow motion to insure progress. To develop a curriculum, an assessment of the abilities of the child was necessary. A screening device as designed to measure the development of the child in four areas --- Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Social, and Language. Skills leading towards ambulation were included in the Gross Motor area; skills leading toward manipulation of objects in space were included in the Fine Motor area; skills leading toward independent living were included in the Social area, while skills leading to improvement in communication were included in the Language area. Tasks in the Social area were divided into sub-groups of social interaction, feeding, dressing, and toileting. Language included two sub-groups – Receptive Language and Expressive Language. Over 800 tasks were reviewed from 18 sources. Three hundred and fifty-nine tasks were finally chosen on the basis of criteria established. The tasks were to be observable, describable, and development. The tasks were then arranged into areas mentioned above and then into levels of development. Twenty-two levels of development were necessary to show the progress of development sufficiently to be useful in the DCHM. The tasks were organized so that the teacher could determine the child developmental level of the child with very little demand on the child. Most of the assessment could be done by observation or with knowledge of the child already possessed by the teacher. A card for recording the progress and the assessment of the child was designed that would also give the teacher a graphic picture of the level of the child and would also keep an ongoing record of the progress of the child with little interruption of the normal activities in the classroom. Each of the 359 tasks was listed on a separate 5X8 Activity Card. Each Activity Card included the abbreviated description of the task, the area, the level, and a three character code designed for that task. Under this information, a behavioral description of the task was given. Next, the tasks expected at the next level were listed, and then suggested classroom activities associated with the next level were given. The Activity Card was designed so that when a teacher observed a new behavior in a child, he could refer to the card on file to note the level and area of the behavior and plan lessons or activities accordingly. A Gestalt of all tasks is included in the Appendix. The tasks selected were from recognized source and because of this, no effort was made to standardize the results. There were three purposes for this study: (1) To provide a tool for the teachers in the DCGM that would allow them to look at the developmental levels of the children; (2) To assess the functioning level of the children; and (3) To provide information about the curriculum suitable for the various levels of development.

In order to demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired during her tenure in the Arts Administration graduate program, the consultant works four hundred and eighty hours as a Social Media and PR intern at Bond Public Relations and Brand Strategy in New Orleans, Louisiana. The following body of work is a consultant’s report written from the perspective of a professional Arts Administrator, and includes the following items: host company profile; description of internship activities; consultant’s contributions and gains; summation of company and industry best practices; host company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats – both internal and external; and the consultant’s recommendations for improvement.

This research study is a concept analysis of the Critical Cross-Field Outcomes (CCFOs). Legislation and related documentation such as SAQA Bulletins, respective Acts, and position papers of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) describe the CCFOs as one of the transformational tools utilised by the SAQA to ensure access, portability and lifelong learning. CCFOs express the intended results of education and training and underpin all learning processes, thus enhancing the learning process and contributing to the full development of an individual. CCFOs are generic and cross-curricular, they are not restricted to any specific learning context, but inform the formulation of specific outcomes in the individual areas of learning for all learners at all levels on the NQF. CCFOs should direct education, training and development practices, as well as the design and implementation of learning programmes. Learning materials should also be designed and utilised accordingly. Critical Cross-Field Outcomes are also referred to as soft competencies, personal competencies, thinking competencies and life competencies, which are the abilities that people need to be active, responsible and successful members of society. They provide the means to build a career and make the person more effective in executing a job. CCFOs should be developed during learning processes so that learners are able to deploy them when achieving work-related outcomes. Knowledge is of little value if it cannot be utilised in new situations or in a form very different from that in which it was originally encountered. Although knowledge is a necessary requirement in education, training and development, it is not sufficient for becoming an expert. What is needed is some evidence that the learners can do something with their knowledge, which implies that they can apply what they know to new situations and problems. The CCFOs are tools that the learner or facilitator can utilise to access knowledge and to develop new knowledge of purposeful objectives. The outcome of this research is a categorisation of underpinning competencies related to the CCFO statements that facilitators, proposers of qualifications, service providers and Education and Training Quality Assurance (ETQA) Managers can use to incorporate the CCFOs in the education, training and development initiatives. These competencies also serve as the starting point for the outcomes-based principle of designing back. These competencies can also be utilized as a benchmark for conducting competencies audits on the CCFOs. Selected competencies are to be implemented at all levels of the NQF in all the fields as identified by SAQA. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted