The aim of this study is to investigate how chemistry teachers at secondary school anduniversities work with learning strategies and models of perception. This thesis leans on theworks of Lev Vygotskij and his likes but also on the theory of conceptual metaphors by GeorgeLakoff and Mark Johnson as a tool to analyze the collected data.The Empirical data that this study is based upon have been collected through semi-structuredinterviews with teachers as primary respondents.The study has resulted in a two practical assignments for secondary school which are builtaround the concept of open assignments. This thesis has also generated a suggestion for a newstructure of the bachelor programme in chemistry at KTH.

Owing to the lack of information and guidelines currently available for technology entrepreneurs, establishing Fintech start-ups in South Africa is challenging. The current literature on Fintech does not provide information highlighting ways in which technology entrepreneurs can establish and sustain Fintech start-ups, nor does it discuss the relevant skills required or the potential entry barriers for Fintech start-ups in the South African context. The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors that make Fintech startups successful, highlight the barriers faced by Fintech startups, elaborate on the skills required, and create a conceptual framework based on the research, that will guide technology entrepreneurs towards successful venture creation. A qualitative research methodology was used in this study using a semi-structured interview with open-ended questions as a research instrument. Financial Capital, Adherence to Regulation and Customer Centric Platform Development were some of the key findings related to establishing and sustaining Fintech start-ups in South Africa. Costly and scarce skilled resources and regulation barriers were some of the contributors to the failure of Fintech start-ups in South Africa. The government needs to assist where they can from a regulation perspective and provide more support to Fintech start-ups. Tax rebates for Fintech start-ups would also help these start-ups survive in South Africa. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Informatics / MCom / Unrestricted

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In this thesis work we develop and test MOGO (a Mini-Ontology GeneratOr.) MOGO automates the generation of mini-ontologies from canonicalized tables of data. This will help anyone trying to organize large amounts of existing data into a more searchable and accessible form. By using a number of different heuristic rules for selecting, enhancing, and modifying ontology elements, MOGO allows users to automatically, semi-automatically, or manually generate conceptual mini-ontologies from canonicalized tables of data. Ideally, MOGO operates fully automatically while allowing users to intervene to direct and correct when necessary so that they can always satisfactorily complete the translation of canonicalized tables into mini-ontologies. Experimental results show that MOGO is able to automatically identify the concepts, relationships, and constraints that exist in arbitrary tables of values with a relatively high level of accuracy. This automation significantly reduces the work required to translate canonicalized tables into mini-ontologies.

One of the most promising powered-lift concepts is Upper Surface Blowing (USB), where the engines are placed above the wing and the engine exhaust jet becomes attached to the upper surface. The jet thrust can then be vectored by use of the trailing edge curvature since the jet flow tends to remain attached by the "Coanda Effect". Wind tunnel and flight-testing have shown USB aircraft to be capable of producing maximum lift coefficients near 10. They have the additional benefit of shielding the engine noise above the wing and away from the ground. Given the potential gains from USB aircraft, one would expect that conceptual design methods exist for their development. This is not the case however. While relatively complex solutions are available, there is currently no adequate low-fidelity methodology for the conceptual and preliminary design of USB or USB/distributed propulsion aircraft. The focus of the current work is to provide such a methodology for conceptual design of USB aircraft. Based on limited experimental data, the new methodology is shown to compare well with wind tunnel data. In this thesis we have described the new approach, correlated it with available 2-D data, and presented comparisons of our predictions with published USB data and an existing non-linear vortex lattice method. The current approach has been shown to produce good results over a broad range of propulsion system parameters, wing geometries, and flap deflections. In addition, the semi-analytical nature of the methodology will lend itself well to aircraft design programs/optimizers such as ACSYNT. These factors make the current method a useful tool for the design of USB and USB/distributed propulsion aircraft. / Master of Science

La presente investigación se enfoca en la subcuenca del Río Chiquito, una región donde aproximadamente el 27 % de su territorio se encuentra completamente urbanizado. El sistema hidrogeológico exhibe características distintivas, comprendiendo acuíferos fracturados, porosos y multicapa que operan como una única unidad. La zona de recarga, en parte protegida por su ubicación en la zona de amortiguamiento y núcleo del Parque Nacional La Tigra, se encuentra en los acuíferos fracturados del Grupo Padre Miguel, seguidos por los acuíferos multicapa de la Formación Río Chiquito. En la parte baja de la subcuenca se localiza la zona de descarga, con alto aprovechamiento de pozos por la mayor densidad de población, y donde el territorio se encuentra completamente urbanizado. El análisis hidroquímico de las aguas subterráneas (manantiales y pozos) muestra que en la parte alta de la cuenca las aguas presentan una facies bicarbonatada cálcica, mientras que en la parte baja son aguas selenitosas, es decir, con elevadas concentraciones de sulfato. Los recursos hídricos de esta unidad se encuentran en un estado crítico debido a la extracción exhaustiva de agua en los pozos, agravando la situación los materiales propios de la geología local y los procesos edáficos, que contribuyen al empeoramiento de la calidad del agua, con incremento en la presencia de metales pesados, como arsénico, cadmio, manganeso, zinc y estroncio, así como por las altas concentraciones de sulfatos, comprometiendo la salud humana de los usuarios de estos puntos de aprovechamiento. Se determinó la zonificación de los riesgos asociados a la salud humana, identificando la parte baja de la subcuenca como un área con alto riesgo debido a aguas selenitosas y a contaminantes metálicos, junto con elevadas tasas de contaminación microbiológica encontradas en más del 50 % de los pozos evaluados, dando como consecuencia un índice de calidad del agua que oscila entre pobre y marginal. Para abordar estos problemas, se propone fortalecer la Gestión Integrada de los Recursos Hídricos (GIRH) mediante la propuesta de ordenanzas municipales específicas para la explotación hídrica y la creación de un consejo de subcuenca, como la principal estructura de organización hídrica. La implementación de un canon municipal de agua se destaca como un mecanismo financiero primario para apoyar estas iniciativas. Este estudio cierra una brecha significativa en el conocimiento científico y provee información vital para el desarrollo sostenible de la subcuenca antes inexistente, que es crucial para los municipios del Distrito Central y Santa Lucía. Estos municipios están habitados por más de 300,000 personas que, dadas las limitaciones del servicio municipal en cuanto a continuidad y dotación, se sirven de los más de 300 pozos estimados en la subcuenca. En este contexto, se subraya la necesidad de que las autoridades municipales y nacionales enfoquen sus esfuerzos en la gestión sostenible de los recursos hídricos subterráneos en zonas urbanas y periurbanas, acorde con el desarrollo sostenible. La zona de recarga de la subcuenca asegura un cierto nivel de resiliencia hídrica, pero se encuentra amenazada por el avance de la frontera urbana y, en menor escala por la agricultura, por lo que es necesario aplicar medidas de protección y conservación para asegurar la sostenibilidad del aprovechamiento de los recursos hídricos.

In convention speeches and inaugural addresses, presidential candidates and newly-elected presidents attempt to persuade listeners to vote for and support them. One persuasive tool that they use in these speeches is metaphor, considered a fundamental form of reasoning (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). The present study focuses on three conceptual metaphors (POLITICS IS WAR, POLITICS IS A JOURNEY, and POLITICS IS LOVE) used in 40 speeches given by American presidents from 1944 to 2021 in order to see if there are differences in metaphor usage across political party (i.e., Democrat and Republican) and across speech type (i.e., nomination acceptance and inaugural address). All speeches were double-coded for the three metaphors by a group of trained raters, and the average count for each metaphor type per speech was found using a many-facet Rasch measurement. Mixed-effects regressions were then conducted to determine differences across political party and speech type. No quantitative differences were found in the use of these metaphors, suggesting the possibility that these speeches represent a genre of political discourse with particular patterns of metaphor usage. Some qualitative differences between political party and speech type are discussed, as well as limitations and future directions for research.

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Peer learning is a learning strategy that enables learners to interact with others and become active participants in their learning. To design peer learning activities, a model of peer learning is necessary to provide peers with guidance. However, previous models related to peer learning have not contained systematic strategies from diagnosis to evaluation. Scaffolding is an appropriate tactic for peer learning as it includes diagnosis, specific learning strategies, and assessment procedures. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to develop and validate a model of peer learning that incorporates scaffolding strategies in order to provide a structure for designing and implementing effective peer learning, and to enhance peers' teaching skills and learners' capability to gain new knowledge. This study drew from design and development research, including model development and model revision. This process was arranged in four phases. The first phase comprised of an intensive literature review to identify related theories, the conceptualization of scaffolding, and the operationalization of scaffolding. In the second phase, the model of peer learning was developed based on the results of the literature review. The model was synthesized using the data from the literature review, which included the main elements and characteristics of scaffolding suitable for peer learning. An online education program was also developed to teach the steps in the model to peer tutors participating in a peer tutoring program, which is one type of peer learning, for the purposes of model validation. In the third phase, model validation through internal (expert review) and external (external validation interview for field evaluation) validation was implemented. Based on the outcomes of these model validation processes, in the fourth phase, guidelines for revisions were developed to improve the proposed model. This model exhibits a synthesis of scaffolding strategies that enhance peer learning, including related theories, the conceptualization of scaffolding, and the operationalization of scaffolding. This model consists of four steps: (a) knowing each other, (b) learning together, (c) checking what you learned, and (d) finalizing peer learning. According to the results of model validation using an online education program designed for peer tutors participating in a peer tutoring program, which is one type of peer learning, this model of peer learning was useful for peers in providing structure and guidance for the design of their peer learning activities and the selection of appropriate peer learning strategies for learners who had different backgrounds and skills. This model is also applicable to various subjects and fields. / Doctor of Philosophy / Peer learning is a learning strategy that enables learners to interact with others and become active participants in their learning. To design effective peer learning activities, a model of peer learning is necessary to provide peers with guidance. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a model of peer learning that incorporates scaffolding strategies in order to provide guidance for designing and implementing effective peer learning, and to enhance peers' teaching skills and learners' ability to gain new knowledge. This study was conducted through model development and model validation. For model development, previous research and books were reviewed to identify main elements of scaffolding such as related theories, the conceptualization of scaffolding, and the operationalization of scaffolding. Based on identified elements of scaffolding, the model of peer learning was developed. This model consists of four steps: (1) knowing each other, (2) learning together, (3) checking what you learned, and (4) finalizing peer learning. According to the results of model validation using an online education program designed for peer tutors participating in a peer tutoring program, which is one type of peer learning, this model of peer learning was useful for peers in providing guidance for the design of their peer learning activities and the selection of appropriate peer learning strategies for learners who had different backgrounds and skills. This model is also applicable to various subjects and fields.

In this study, I will examine the beliefs and conceptual understanding of instructors and students from two abstract algebra classes. This research takes the form of a case study in which I answer four research questions, each addressing a relationship between instruction and beliefs or conceptual understanding. Specifically, these research questions are: 1. What beliefs do the instructors have about math, teaching, and learning and what relationship exists between these beliefs and instructional practice? 2. What is the relationship between instructional practice and students' beliefs about math, teaching, and learning? 3. What conceptual metaphors do the professors use to describe isomorphisms and homomorphisms and what relationship exists between these metaphors and the mathematical content in instruction? 4. What is the relationship between the mathematical content in instruction and conceptual metaphors the students use to describe isomorphisms and homomorphisms? In terms of beliefs, the instructors articulated considered positions on the nature of math, math learning, and math teaching. These beliefs were clearly reflected in their overall approaches to teaching. However, their instruction shifted in practice over the course of the semester. Students' beliefs seemed to shift slightly as a result of the ways their instructors taught. However, their core beliefs about math seemed unchanged and some lessons students took away were similar in the two classes. In terms of conceptual understanding, the instructors provided many conceptual metaphors that related to how they understood isomorphism. They struggled more to provide an image for homomorphism, which requires thinking about a more complicated mathematical object. Their understandings of isomorphism and homomorphism were largely reflected in their instruction with some notable differences. Students took away similar understandings of isomorphism to the instructors, but did not all take away the same level of structural understanding of homomorphism. In short, relationships between instructors' beliefs and instruction and between instructors' conceptual understanding and instruction were evident. However, certain elements were not made as clear as they perhaps intended. Relationships between instruction and students' beliefs and between instruction and students' conceptual understanding were also evident. However, relationships between instruction and beliefs were subtler than between instruction and conceptual understanding. / Doctor of Philosophy / In this study, I will examine the beliefs and conceptual understanding of instructors and students from two abstract algebra classes. I address four relationships: between instructors’ beliefs and instruction, between instruction and students’ beliefs, between instructors’ conceptual understanding and instruction, and between instruction and students’ conceptual understanding. Relationships between instructors’ beliefs and instruction and between instructors’ conceptual understanding and instruction were evident. However, certain elements were not made as clear as they perhaps intended. Relationships between instruction and students’ beliefs and between instruction and students’ conceptual understanding were also evident. However, relationships between instruction and beliefs were subtler than between instruction and conceptual understanding.