The performance of mathematics and physical science students are very low in South Africa. These students lack algebraic knowledge and skills in physics education. They tend to treat mathematics and science as separate entities; to them the two subjects are not related. Even the teachers seem not to realise the interrelationship of the two subjects, because according to the research, they perpetuate this attitude. A possible reason could be that they are unfamiliar with common objectives and applications. Knowledge of science is enhanced by the application of mathematics, but the role of mathematical knowledge and skills in the understanding of physical science is uncertain. Even in the new National Curriculum Statement (NCS) of South Africa the relationship between mathematics and physical science is not clearly indicated. Algebraic language is a main tool used in physics, but students still display a lack of understanding of mathematical concepts and problem solving skills. The study was aimed at identifying the mathematical knowledge and skills that would enable students to solve physics problems in grades 11 and 12. The aim was also to identify the specific problems experienced by students in applying these skills and knowledge in physics at grades 11 and 12 level. The empirical study was conducted amongst a group of 120 students in four schools in the Rustenburg Region, North- West Province, South Africa and 28 teachers of which 10 were from these schools and 18 were teachers participating in the Sediba project of the North-West University. The investigation was done by means of a self constructed test and questionnaires. The results indicate that the biggest problem lies with a lack of conceptual knowledge, especially with a basic understanding of proportional reasoning. Other problems were identified and possible remedies proposed. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Bakgrund: Barn som besöker sjukhus och andra vårdinrättningar förknippar ofta vistelsen med undersökningar och behandlingar. De ofta rädda för det okända och för att inte veta vad som ska hända. Det kan bero på den annorlunda miljön och på möten med nya främmande ansikten. Om dessa procedurer också är förknippade med smärta kan barnen riskera att utveckla ökad stress och rädsla inför kommande procedurer Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien är att belysa sjuksköterskans möjligheter att lindra rädsla och smärta hos barn i samband med smärtsamma behandlingar och procedurer inom sjukvården Metod: En litteraturstudie baserad på 24 vetenskapliga artiklar och 2 doktorsavhandlingar. Resultat: Ur analysen av datamaterialet har två huvudteman identifierats. Resultatet visar att ”faktorer som lindrar rädsla och smärta” och ”faktorer som påverkar smärtbedömning, rädsla och smärta” är områden som har stor betydelse för barn som genomgår smärtsamma behandlingar eller procedurer inom sjukvården. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskor behöver uppmärksamma och förstå barns kognitiva utveckling, mognad och behov samt skapa kunskap om smärta och rädsla i samband med smärtsamma procedurer och behandlingar för att kunna utföra välavvägda omvårdnads- och medicinska behandlingar. / Background: Children that visit hospitals and other care givers often connect their stay with medical treatments and examinations. They are also often forced into unpredictable and distressful situations of being exposed to the unknown, not knowing what will happen to them. This could be due to the unfamiliar surroundings or unknown faces they meet. If these procedures are connected to pain, the children are at risk of developing feelings of increased stress and fear in relation to future procedures. Aim: The aim of this literature review is to illuminate nurse’s possibilities to reduce fear and pain in connection to painful treatments and procedures in health care. Method: A literature review based on 24 scientific articles and 2 doctoral theses. Results: Through the analysis of the data two main themes were identified: "factors that alleviate fear and pain" and "factors affecting pain assessment, fear and pain". These themes are areas that have significant impact in children undergoing painful procedures and treatments in health care. Conclusion: Nurses need to be attentive to children’s cognitive development, maturity and needs. They also have to become better to develop knowledge about fear and pain associated with painful procedures and treatments in order to increase the quality of care within this context.

Achieving a believable gait pattern for a virtual quadrupedal character requires a significant time investment from an animator. This thesis presents a prototype system for creating a foundational layer of natural-looking animation to serve as a starting point for an animator. Starting with video of an actual horse walking, joints are animated over the footage to create a rotoscoped animation. This animation represents the animal’s natural motion. Joint angle values for the legs are sampled per frame of the animation and conditioned for Fourier analysis. The Fast Fourier Transform provides frequency information that is used to create mathematical descriptions of each joint’s movement. A model representing the horse’s overall gait pattern is created once each of the leg joints has been analyzed and defined. Lastly, a new rig for a virtual quadruped is created and its leg joints are animated using the gait pattern model derived through the analysis.

Given the important role that trust plays in acceptance of water management schemes, the current research investigated the characteristics and determinants of trust by developing a social-psychological model of trust in the area of water management and reuse. The research advanced a theoretical understanding of trust by using social identity theory and the relational model of trust as a framework and providing a systematic examination of the relationships between the variables in the hypothesised trust model. The proposed trust model was tested across three potentially different perceived risk contexts; low, medium and high. Analysis through path modelling provided strong support for the hypothesised model. In all three contexts trust in the water authority was a significant predictor of acceptance of the water management scheme, and risk perceptions mediated the relationship between trust and acceptance. In other words higher levels of trust in the authority were associated with lower perceptions of risk, which were in turn associated with higher levels of acceptance. In Study 4, which was set in the high perceived risk context of the proposed indirect potable reuse scheme in Toowoomba, perceptions of risk had the strongest direct effect on acceptance of the scheme, and the trust, risk and acceptance relationship was stronger than it was in the other studies. The relational variables of procedural fairness, identification with one’s community, ingroup membership of the water authority and a social bond (shared values) with the water authority were all found to impact on trust, either directly or indirectly. In addition, the instrumental variable of the credibility of the authority (measured as technical competence and a lack of vested interests) was found to have a significant impact on trust. Taken together, the results provide support for social identity theory and the relational model of trust as a framework for understanding trust in authorities. The results are also consistent with literature that suggests that the relational and instrumental models of trust are not incompatible (e.g., Edwards & Kidd, 2003; Tyler & Kramer, 1996). The findings from this research program clearly have a practical application for improving acceptance of water management schemes. The combined results demonstrate the importance of trust in the water authority in reducing perceived risk and thus increasing acceptance of schemes. The results highlight the need for water authorities and policy makers to build public trust through procedural fairness, building a sense of the water authority as a member of the community, and through demonstrating technical competence and concern for the interests of the public.

Given the important role that trust plays in acceptance of water management schemes, the current research investigated the characteristics and determinants of trust by developing a social-psychological model of trust in the area of water management and reuse. The research advanced a theoretical understanding of trust by using social identity theory and the relational model of trust as a framework and providing a systematic examination of the relationships between the variables in the hypothesised trust model. The proposed trust model was tested across three potentially different perceived risk contexts; low, medium and high. Analysis through path modelling provided strong support for the hypothesised model. In all three contexts trust in the water authority was a significant predictor of acceptance of the water management scheme, and risk perceptions mediated the relationship between trust and acceptance. In other words higher levels of trust in the authority were associated with lower perceptions of risk, which were in turn associated with higher levels of acceptance. In Study 4, which was set in the high perceived risk context of the proposed indirect potable reuse scheme in Toowoomba, perceptions of risk had the strongest direct effect on acceptance of the scheme, and the trust, risk and acceptance relationship was stronger than it was in the other studies. The relational variables of procedural fairness, identification with one’s community, ingroup membership of the water authority and a social bond (shared values) with the water authority were all found to impact on trust, either directly or indirectly. In addition, the instrumental variable of the credibility of the authority (measured as technical competence and a lack of vested interests) was found to have a significant impact on trust. Taken together, the results provide support for social identity theory and the relational model of trust as a framework for understanding trust in authorities. The results are also consistent with literature that suggests that the relational and instrumental models of trust are not incompatible (e.g., Edwards & Kidd, 2003; Tyler & Kramer, 1996). The findings from this research program clearly have a practical application for improving acceptance of water management schemes. The combined results demonstrate the importance of trust in the water authority in reducing perceived risk and thus increasing acceptance of schemes. The results highlight the need for water authorities and policy makers to build public trust through procedural fairness, building a sense of the water authority as a member of the community, and through demonstrating technical competence and concern for the interests of the public.

Given the important role that trust plays in acceptance of water management schemes, the current research investigated the characteristics and determinants of trust by developing a social-psychological model of trust in the area of water management and reuse. The research advanced a theoretical understanding of trust by using social identity theory and the relational model of trust as a framework and providing a systematic examination of the relationships between the variables in the hypothesised trust model. The proposed trust model was tested across three potentially different perceived risk contexts; low, medium and high. Analysis through path modelling provided strong support for the hypothesised model. In all three contexts trust in the water authority was a significant predictor of acceptance of the water management scheme, and risk perceptions mediated the relationship between trust and acceptance. In other words higher levels of trust in the authority were associated with lower perceptions of risk, which were in turn associated with higher levels of acceptance. In Study 4, which was set in the high perceived risk context of the proposed indirect potable reuse scheme in Toowoomba, perceptions of risk had the strongest direct effect on acceptance of the scheme, and the trust, risk and acceptance relationship was stronger than it was in the other studies. The relational variables of procedural fairness, identification with one’s community, ingroup membership of the water authority and a social bond (shared values) with the water authority were all found to impact on trust, either directly or indirectly. In addition, the instrumental variable of the credibility of the authority (measured as technical competence and a lack of vested interests) was found to have a significant impact on trust. Taken together, the results provide support for social identity theory and the relational model of trust as a framework for understanding trust in authorities. The results are also consistent with literature that suggests that the relational and instrumental models of trust are not incompatible (e.g., Edwards & Kidd, 2003; Tyler & Kramer, 1996). The findings from this research program clearly have a practical application for improving acceptance of water management schemes. The combined results demonstrate the importance of trust in the water authority in reducing perceived risk and thus increasing acceptance of schemes. The results highlight the need for water authorities and policy makers to build public trust through procedural fairness, building a sense of the water authority as a member of the community, and through demonstrating technical competence and concern for the interests of the public.

Bakgrund: Barn som besöker vården upplever rädsla och oro inför att vårdåtgärder kan tänkas göra ont. Adekvat smärtlindring är viktig för att lindra barns fysiska och psykiska smärta samt främja god hälsa.  Det finns olika sätt att lindra barns smärta, en metod är lustgasbehandling. Syfte: Syftet var att i form av ett förbättringsarbete utvärdera lustgasbehandling i samband med att barn genomgår en smärtsam procedur på en barn- och ungdomsmedicinsk klinik på ett medelstort sjukhus i södra Sverige. Metod: Förbättringsarbetet genomfördes med en kvantitativ design. Deskriptiv statistik har använts för att utvärdera lustgasens effekter och bieffekter, vidare har andra faktorer som kan påverka behandlingen utvärderats. Resultat: Lustgas har varit användbart i samband med smärtsamma procedurer, behandlingen har fungerat smärtlindrande samt varit till hjälp för barn som varit rädda. Lustgasbehandling uppskattas av både barn och deras vårdnadshavare. Slutsatser: För att lindra barns lidande och utföra god omvårdnad måste barnsjuksköterskan ha kunskap om hur barn upplever smärtsamma situationer samt hur smärta bäst lindras. Det aktuella förbättringsarbetet har bekräftat att lustgas är en metod som kan hjälpa barn i samband med flera typer av smärtsamma procedurer. Genom att kunna välja lustgas som smärtlindrande och lugnande metod kan barnets delaktighet och hälsa främjas. / Background: Children receiving health care experience fear and anxiety related to possible painful procedures. Adequate pain relief is important to ease children’s physical and psychological pain and further to promote good health. There are various ways of relieving children’s pain, one method is nitrous oxide. Aim: The aim was to through an improvement work evaluate the usage of nitrous oxide in connection to children undergoing a painful procedure on a children’s and youth’s medicine ward at a medium sized hospital in south of Sweden. Method: The improvement work was conducted through a quantitative design. Descriptive statistics was used to evaluate the effects and adverse events of nitrous oxide, furthermore has other variables that may affect the treatment been evaluated. Results: Nitrous oxide has been useful when utilized in painful procedures, the treatment has served pain relieving and eased children who experienced fear. Both children and legal guardians appreciated the usage of nitrous oxide. Conclusion: A children’s nurse must possess knowledge related to children’s experience of pain and adequate pain relief in order to ease children’s suffering and administer good care. The current improvement work has confirmed nitrous oxide to be a tool that might help children in connection to several painful procedures. Through the choice of using nitrous oxide as a pain relieving and sedative method the child’s empowerment and health can be improved.

Existem milhares de espécies de serpentes no mundo, muitas com padrões distintos e intricados. Esta diversidade se torna um problema para usuários que precisam criar texturas de pele de serpente para aplicar em modelos 3D, pois a dificuldade em criar estes padrões complexos é considerável. Nós primeiramente propomos uma categorização de padrões de pele de serpentes levando em conta suas características visuais. Então apresentamos um modelo procedural capaz de sintetizar uma vasta gama de textura de padrões de pele de serpentes. O modelo usa processamento de imagem simples (tal como sintetizar bolinhas e listras) bem como autômatos celulares e geradores de ruído para criar texturas realistas para usar em renderizadores modernos. Nossos resultados mostram boa similaridade visual com pele de serpentes reais. As texturas resultantes podem ser usadas não apenas em computação gráfica, mas também em educação sobre serpentes e suas características visuais. Nós também realizamos testes com usuários para avaliar a usabilidade de nossa ferramenta. O escore da Escala de Usabilidade do Sistema foi de 85:8, sugerindo uma ferramenta de texturização altamente efetiva. / There are thousands of snake species in the world, many with intricate and distinct skin patterns. This diversity becomes a problem for users who need to create snake skin textures to apply on 3D models, as the difficulty for creating such complex patterns is considerable. We first propose a categorization of snake skin patterns considering their visual characteristics. We then present a procedural model capable of synthesizing a wide range of texture skin patterns from snakes. The model uses simple image processing (such as synthesizing spots and stripes) as well as cellular automata and noise generators to create realistic textures for use in a modern renderer. Our results show good visual similarity with real skin found in snakes. The resulting textures can be used not only for computer graphics texturing, but also in education about snakes and their visual characteristics. We have also performed a user study to assess the usability of our tool. The score from the System Usability Scale was 85:8, suggesting a highly effective texturing tool.

The Scottish government’s aim of deriving 100 per cent of the nation’s electricity from renewable sources is dependent on the utilisation of wind energy. Social barriers, however, have continued to threaten these targets. Community benefit funds have often been paraded as the most common way of improving public attitudes towards wind farms in the United Kingdom, although little empirical evidence exists to support this notion. Using the proposed Ourack wind farm, approximately three and a half miles north of Grantown-on-Spey in the Scottish Highlands, this case study, consisting of a sequential explanatory research design comprised of an initial close-ended survey followed by in-depth semi-structured interviews, sought to explore the community’s perceptions of community benefits, identify the type of fund that the community wanted, and investigate the role of such benefit provisions in altering perceptions of wind farms. The key findings indicated that the majority of participants were in favour of benefits being provided, they preferred funding to be directed towards community organisations, and approximately one third of research participants (31.6 per cent) perceived the proposed wind farm in a more positive light after considering the possible benefits the region would accrue. Furthermore, the research indicated the need for community benefits to become a standardised part of the planning process, thus reducing the likelihood of financial benefits being perceived as bribes, and allowing developers to provide greater information about any proposed benefits scheme prior to applying for planning permission. There are implications of this study for academics researching the role of community benefits in wind farm planning, and policymakers and developers for understanding the wants and needs of community members.

abstract: There have been conflicting accounts of animation's facilitation in learning from instructional media, being at best no different if not hindering performance. Procedural motor learning represents one of the few the areas in which animations have shown to be facilitative. These studies examine the effects of instructional media (animation vs. static), rotation (facing vs. over the shoulder) and spatial abilities (low vs. high spatial abilities) on two procedural motor tasks, knot tying and endoscope reprocessing. Results indicate that for all conditions observed in which participants engaged in procedural motor learning tasks, performance was significantly improved with animations over static images. Further, performance was greater for rotations of instructional media that did not require participants to perform a mental rotation under some circumstances. Interactions between Media x Rotation suggest that media that was animated and did not require a participant to mentally rotate led to improved performance. Individual spatial abilities were found to influence total steps correct and total number of errors made in the knot tying task, but this was not observed in the endoscope task. These findings have implications for the design of instructional media for procedural motor tasks and provide strong support for the usage of animations in this context. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Applied Psychology 2012