Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

This dissertation explored the cost and value of 1:1 computing programs in high schools in Texas. The study examines whether the total cost of ownership of these programs can be justified by the student testing gains and graduation rates. It investigates whether student learning outcomes show a definable correlation between positive gains and the implementation of 1:1 computing programs. The study also explores whether there is a measurable return on investment of 1:1 programs based on testing gains and graduation rates. The research used the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness exam scores to validate assumptions and test the hypothesis. The study found no clear link between the addition of 1:1 computing programs and the realms of student success. While there is marginal improvement in student outcomes, there is only circumstantial evidence that laptops and devices are the catalysts for the change. The dissertation also found that the total cost of ownership (TCO) is a significant portion of the district's spending, costing millions of dollars, and that the financial disclosure and budget information data was either missing, incomplete, or over-generalized, causing an issue for assessing program effectiveness or ROI. Despite this lack of transparency, there is a slight positive ROI trend based on the data reviewed during the observation period.

Background: In 2003, the National Commissioner of the South African Police Service gave instructions that all the new student constables should undergo a personnel capacity-building programme as part of their basic training. This led to the development of the Self-Management Programme by Police Social Work Services. This programme IS, since July 2004, an integral part of the empowerment of more than 8000 recruits annually. A comprehensive study into the short and long-term effects of the programme on recruits, as well as its overall return on investment (ROI), was started in 2004. In this document, only the results that were achieved with the measurement of the programme's decision-making and purpose-in-life components will, however, be covered. Objectives: The study had a twofold purpose. The first was to measure the short and long-term effect of the Financial Management, Planning of Goals, Self-knowledge, Problem-solving and HIV/AIDS Awareness modules on recruit's knowledge, attitude and behaviour. It, secondly, endeavoured to measure the programme's return on investment coefficient. Method: The study utilised an experimental research design, as well as focus groups and triangulation. It involved an average of 400 experimental group respondents, 120 control group members, 12 focus group participants and 14 presenters per module. A total of 23 questionnaires and a focus group schedule was designed and utilised in the generation of data. Results: All five modules had a practical significant effect on the respondents' knowledge, attitude and behaviour and improved their personal and professional functioning considerably. The "decision-making" and "purpose-in-life" components, as well as the programme as a whole, also produced a very high return on investment. It, therefore, implies that the Self-Management Programme should be seen as both a very effective capacity-building tool and a financial asset for the South African Police Service. / Thesis (Ph.D. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

The research work presented in this thesis introduces novel approaches for both visual region of interest extraction and visual feature extraction for use in audio-visual automatic speech recognition. In particular, the speaker‘s movement that occurs during speech is used to isolate the mouth region in video sequences and motionbased features obtained from this region are used to provide new visual features for audio-visual automatic speech recognition. The mouth region extraction approach proposed in this work is shown to give superior performance compared with existing colour-based lip segmentation methods. The new features are obtained from three separate representations of motion in the region of interest, namely the difference in luminance between successive images, block matching based motion vectors and optical flow. The new visual features are found to improve visual-only and audiovisual speech recognition performance when compared with the commonly-used appearance feature-based methods. In addition, a novel approach is proposed for visual feature extraction from either the discrete cosine transform or discrete wavelet transform representations of the mouth region of the speaker. In this work, the image transform is explored from a new viewpoint of data discrimination; in contrast to the more conventional data preservation viewpoint. The main findings of this work are that audio-visual automatic speech recognition systems using the new features extracted from the frequency bands selected according to their discriminatory abilities generally outperform those using features designed for data preservation. To establish the noise robustness of the new features proposed in this work, their performance has been studied in presence of a range of different types of noise and at various signal-to-noise ratios. In these experiments, the audio-visual automatic speech recognition systems based on the new approaches were found to give superior performance both to audio-visual systems using appearance based features and to audio-only speech recognition systems.

Background: The hippocampus and corpus callosum have been shown to be vulnerable in head injury. Various neuroimaging modalities and quantitative measurement techniques have been employed to investigate pathological changes in these structures. Cognitive and behavioural deficiencies have also been well documented in head injury. Aims: The aim of this research project was to investigate structural changes in the hippocampus and corpus callosum. Two different quantitative methods were used to measure physical changes and neuropsychological assessment was performed to determine cognitive and behavioural deficit. It was also intended to investigate the relationship between structural change and neuropsychology at 1 and 6 months post injury. Method: Forty-seven patients with head injury (ranging from mild to severe) had undergone a battery of neuropsychological tests and an MRI scan at 1 and 6 months post injury. T1-weighted MRI scans were obtained and analysis of hippocampus and corpus callosum was performed using region-of-interest techniques and voxel-based morphometry which also included comparison to 18 healthy volunteers. The patients completed neuropsychological assessment at 1 and 6 months post injury and data obtained was analysed with respect to each assessment and with structural data to determine cognitive decline and correlation with neuroanatomy. Results: Voxel-based morphometry illustrated reduced whole scan signal differences between patients and controls and changes in patients between 1 and 6 months post injury. Reduced grey matter concentration was also found using voxel-based morphometry and segmented images between patients and controls. A number of neuropsychological aspects were related to injury severity and correlations with neuroanatomy were present. Voxel-based morphometry provided a greater number of associations than region-of-interest analysis. No longitudinal changes were found in the hippocampus or corpus callosum using region-of-interest methodology or voxel-based morphometry. Conclusions: Decreased grey matter concentration identified with voxel-based morphometry illustrated that structural deficit was present in the head injured patients and does not change between 1 and 6 months. Voxel-based morphometry appears more sensitive for detecting structural changes after head injury than region- of-interest methods. Although the majority of patients had suffered mild head injury, cognitive and neurobehavioural deficits were evidenced by a substantial number of patients reporting increased anxiety and depression levels. Also, the findings of relationships between reduced grey matter concentration and cognitive test scores are indicative of the effects of diffuse brain damage in the patient group.

La figure des « pionniers » et des « pionnières » est devenue un référent culturel identitaire fondamental dans le développement de la mémoire collective québécoise. Nous montrons que ces objets culturels s’intègrent et participent à la représentation identitaire imaginée et conçue à l’intérieur d’un discours visant à affirmer une identité fondée en bonne partie sur l’histoire des Canadiens issus de l’immigration française du XVIIe siècle. La conjoncture politique du XIXe siècle favorise l’émergence d’un récit patriotique et d’un discours nationaliste conservateur, tissés par certains auteurs et appuyés par les élites politiques et les membres du clergé. Ces discours ont contribué à construire la nation canadienne et à l’inscrire dans un passé lointain et glorieux - dans l’imaginaire des « civilisations ». Dans cette perspective, l’objet culturel « pionnier » et l’objet culturel « filles du roi » sont mobilisés avec force dans la construction du passé magnifié de la nation canadienne. Nous nous intéresserons donc à la construction de l’image de ces deux figures pionnières dans les récits sur les origines nationales, ainsi qu’à leur utilisation dans le développement d’un sentiment identitaire canadien-français. / The “ pioneer ” figure has become a fundamental cultural identity referent in the development of Québec folk memory. We show that these cultural objects are integrated and take part in imagined identity representation, devised from within a discourse seeking to establish an identity based in large part on the history of Canadians descending from 17th century French immigrants. The political climate of the 19th century favoured the emergence of a patriotic account and a nationalistic conservative discourse, formulated by certain authors and approved by the political elites and clergymen. This discourse contributed to building the Canadian nation and inserting it in a distant and glorious past of “ imaginary civilizations ”. In this perspective, the construction of a magnified past of the Canadian nation relied heavily on the cultural objects “ pioneer ” and “ King’s Daughters ”. We explore these two pioneer figures’ changing image in accounts of national origins, and their use in developing a French Canadian sense of identity.

ROI och break-even finns för att beräkna vinster i verksamheter men det är svårt att veta hur dessa metoder kan appliceras på automatiserade GUI-test. Genom en utförd fallstudie där litteraturstudier, dokumentstudier, enkäter och intervjuer använts har det visat sig att dessa metoder kan anpassas för att beräkna vinster med automatiserade GUI-tester. Nackdelarna med dessa metoder är att de är svåra att använda om inte automatiseringen är gjord. Det behövs konkreta uppgifter över till exempel tidsåtgång för körning av både manuella och automatiserade testfall. Även om metoderna kan visa att det finns ekonomiska vinster med automatiserade GUI-tester så kan det vara många andra vinster som inte kan identifieras genom att metoderna appliceras. Dessa immateriella vinster och förluster har i arbetat identifierats genom intervjuer och enkäter och resultatet presenteras med en SWOT-analys. Flera viktiga immateriella vinster som till exempel ökad kvalitet och tidsvinst har framkommit. Även några materiella förluster har framkommit som att det kan vara kostsamt att införa automatiserade GUI-tester. Även immateriella förluster har identifierats, en av dessa är att det krävs särskild kompetens för att konstruera och köra de automatiserade testerna. / ROI and break-even are available for calculating profits in operations, but it is difficult to know how these methods can be applied to automated GUI tests. By a conducted case study in which literature review, document studies, questionnaires and interviews have been used, it has been shown that these methods can be adapted to calculate the profits with automated GUI-tests. The disadvantages with these methods are that they are difficult to use unless the automation is made. There is a need for concrete data on, for example, the time taken for the execution of both manual and automated test cases. Although the methods can show that there are financial gains with automated GUI tests, there may be many other gains that cannot be identified by applying the methods. These intangible profits and losses have been identified in the work through interviews and surveys and the results are presented with a SWOT analysis. Several important intangible benefits such as increased quality and time savings have emerged. Some material losses have also come to light as it can be costly to introduce automated GUI tests. Even intangible losses have been identified, one of these is that it requires special skills to design and run the automated tests.

Le royaume de la Belgique a pendant longtemps été considéré en Europe continentale, comme l’un des principaux pays à avoir adopté et réussi la pratique du régime parlementaire. L’analyse du système de gouvernement envisagé ici, dans tous ses aspects historiques, juridiques et politiques, vise à reconstituer la façon dont s’est parlementarisé sans heurts notoires, la monarchie constitutionnelle représentative des origines vers une pratique parlementaire dualiste. Cette étude propose une réflexion d’ensemble sur l’architecture des pouvoirs, sous les règnes de Léopold Ier, Léopold II et Albert Ier, notamment sur la formation du gouvernement de cabinet, la naissance des partis politiques, le déclin de l’autorité politique du Roi, tout en faisant au passage une prosopographie du personnel politique de l’époque. / The Kingdom of Belgium has long been considered in continental Europe as one of the main countries to have adopted and succeeded in the practice of a parliamentary system. The analysis of the government system presented here in all its historical, legal and political aspects aims at reconstituting the way the initial constitutional monarchy progressed towards a dual parliamentary system without any significant incidents. Thus, in the reigns of Leopold I, Leopold II and Albert I, this study offers an overarching consideration of the architecture of powers, the formation of cabinet government, the creation of political parties, the decline of Royal political authority, while conducting a prosopography of the political figures of the period.

Aujourd’hui disparu, le château de Choisy-le-Roi reste bien souvent dans les esprits un symbole des fantaisies coûteuses de Louis XV et de Mme de Pompadour, idée répandues par la littérature et les chroniques des XVIIIe et XIXe siècles. Choisy occupe cependant une place majeure dans l’histoire de l’architecture des programmes mis en place pour les besoins de la vie de cour de la deuxième moitié du XVIIIe siècle. Proche de la forêt de Sénart, le château devient d’abord une résidence conviviale où se retrouve, après les parties de chasse, une « cour particulière », composée des familiers du roi et de la favorite. Louis XV convie par la suite à Choisy ses enfants, auxquels il consacre de courts séjours dans un cadre moins protocolaire. La suite nombreuse attachée à leur service transforme cet espace auparavant « privé », et le rend plus accessible aux courtisans. Cette augmentation de la fréquentation entraîne de nombreux travaux dirigés par l’architecte Ange-Jacques Gabriel. En conséquence de cette perte d’ « intimité », d’autres lieux particuliers sont alors aménagés ; ainsi, le Petit-Château, premier pavillon d’habitation de Louis XV, est construit. C’est là où prend place la table « volante ». À travers l’étude du domaine royal, on perçoit également le fonctionnement quotidien du château, où vivent de nombreux employés attachés à l’administration des Bâtiments du roi. Le travail sur le terrain est coordonné par un contrôleur des Bâtiments, dont les lettres échangées avec le Directeur de l’administration délivrent de précieuses informations sur la gestion et le personnel. Ainsi, le château de Choisy apparaît comme une pièce majeure pour la compréhension de la cour et de la sociabilité de Louis XV. / Today disappeared, the castel of Choisy-le-Roi remains as a symbol of the Louis XV and Mme de Pompadour’s expensive whims, idea spread by the 18th and 19th centuries literature. However, Choisy has an important part in the history of the programs architecture set up for the needs for the life of court of the second half of the 18th century. Close to the forest of Sénart, the castel becomes at first a friendly residence where finds itself, after the hunting trips, a " particular court ", made up of the king ’s close friends. Louis XV invites later to Choisy his children, to whom he dedicates short stays in a informal settings. The numerous entourage attached to their service transforms this space previously "private", and makes it more accessible to the courtiers. This increase of the company produces many construction works by the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel. As a result of this loss of "intimacy", other intimate places are then fitted out; so, the Petit-Château, the first detached house of Louis XV, is built. It is where takes place the table « volante ». Through the study of the royal domain, we also notice the daily functioning of the castel, where live numerous employees attached to the administration des Bâtiments du roi. The field works is coordinated by a controller des Bâtiments, from whom letters exchanged with the Director of the administration give valued informations on management and staff. So, the castel of Choisy appears as a major part for the understanding of the court and the sociability of Louis XV.

Genomslagskraften i de sociala medierna är vedertaget stora och spridningen av budskap äroändlig. Företags möjlighet att interagera, kommunicera samt identifiera sina kunder ärenorm. Problematiken ligger i mätbarheten, då ingen lyckats bevisa ekonomisk ROI direktkopplat till investering i sociala medier. Ett problem som diskuteras såväl på expertnivå, istyrelserummet som bland marknadsförare globalt.Ur intervjuer samt forskningsunderlag är de största drivkrafterna för att som företag verka i desociala medierna att långsiktigt öka försäljning genom högre varumärkeskännedom, utnyttjadword-of-mouth och djupare kundrelationer. Dessa faktorer sammanfattas av flera forskaresom ROE (return on engagement) och anses vara ett steg närmare ROI i sociala medier då detkan resultera i långsiktiga intäkter.Det råder dock interna motsättningar i många företag, vilket är bekräftat både genom insamlad data, forskning samt intervjuer, när det gäller hantering av sociala medier ochhurvida investeringar ska bedömmas ur ekonomiskt perspektiv eller ej. I en jämförelse mellanledning- och marknadsperspektiv konstaterades ett kunskapsglapp mellan beslutsfattare ochmarknadsförare på grund av att ekonomisk avkastning inte är mätbar. Ledningen önskar hårdasiffror för att motivera en investering medan marknadscheferna argumenterar med ROE.Idag använder företag flertalet metoder för att mäta effekten på sina investeringar i sociala medier och vad som skall mätas är individuellt för varje företag beroende på uppsatta mål.Därtill har sociala medier en bevisad effekt på kostnadseffektivisering. Trots att företagenverkar i de sociala medierna är budgeten fortfarande liten i förhållande till traditionell media,även om traditionella statiska kanaler har lägre spridningsmöjlighet.Marknadschefer och ledning måste lära sig tala samma språk då de båda förstår konkurrenskraft och varumärkesbyggande. Ledningen måste därtill skaffa sig mer kunskapom sociala medier och dess användning inom företag då det är i deras intresse att hänga medkonkurrenterna samt finnas där deras kunder finns. Därtill har rapporten bekräftat att socialamedier måste hanteras långsiktigt. / Program: Textilekonomutbildningen