(in English): [The thesis is focused on communications of the Czech and Slovak parliamentary political parties via Internet based social network Facebook. Thesis' primary research goal is to provide the comparative analysis of the selected political parties' approaches towards their communication activities on Facebook platform during the selected periods of time in 2015. Moreover, the portfolio of the qualitative and quantitative indicators was defined in order to evaluate the ways of communication of the selected political parties in detail. Following the complex portfolio of the indicators, the thesis brings the definition of the communication trends and identifies the main communication differences between the Czech and Slovak political parties on Facebook too. Trends analysis is based on national and transnational perspective. Secondary, the thesis describes the theoretical definition framework and the development of the digital communication discipline in general, while focusing on its reflection in modern political communication area at the same time.]

Wie ist Computergeschichtsschreibung aus informatischer Per­spektive mög­lich? Diese Frage wird unter Berücksichtigung der Medienarchäologie, die die Operativität und damit Ahistorizität technischer Medien betont, gestellt, woraus sich die Com­puterarchäologie als interdiszipli­näre Theorie und Methode ergibt. Die Arbeit erfasst zunächst die Probleme technisch defizitärer, wider­sprüchlicher und idiosynkratischer Computerhistorio­grafie an ausgewählten Beispielen, um diese ge­schichtskritisch, diskurs- und medien­archäologisch zu dekonstruieren. Unter dem Be­griff der Archäographie werden sodann Werkzeuge und Methoden zusammengestellt, die es er­möglichen operative ‘alte’ Computer techniknah zu untersu­chen und zur Ent­wicklung einer Theorie mittlerer Reichweite zu beschreiben. Dabei suspendieren Methoden der Infor­matik, Elektrotechnik, Diagram­matik u. a. die hermeneutischen Beschreibungsverfahren der Histo­riografie. Zu­sätzliche Methoden der Medienwissenschaft und anderer Disziplinen ergänzen dieses Methodenset. Retrocomputing, das als eine hobbyistische Form der Computerarchäologie bereits seit Jahr­zehnten betrieben wird, bildet den Rahmen für 4 computerarchäologische Projekte mit frühen Mikrocomputern (1975-1985): 1. die Analyse einer ‘traditio­nellen’ Computer-Demonstration; 2. die Entwick­lung eines “Game of Life” auf einer 8-Bit-Computerplattform; 3. die Entwicklung eines neuen Computerspiels und modernen Massenspeichers für eine Spielkonsole von 1978; und 4. die Re­paratur eines 8-Bit-Compu­ters von 1977. Diese Projekte werden im Anschluss durch eine didaktische Betrachtung gerahmt. Retrocomputing verfährt damit auf ähnliche Weise wie ‘Homecomputing’ (ab den späten 1970er Jahren). Die didaktische Reflexion der Projekte mündet in eine Retro-Didaktik, die geeignet wäre durch Komplexitätsreduktion breitenwirksam Kenntnisse über aktuelle Informatik-Systeme zu vermitteln und zugleich ein his­torisch-kritisches Bewusstsein der Computerkultur zu generieren. / How is computer history possible from the viewpoint of computer science? By considering media archaeology’s theory of operative and thus a-historical media computer archaeology combines an interdisciplinary set of theories and methods to answer this question. At first, the problems of computer historiography (technical inaccuracy, inconsistency, and idiosyncrasy) will be deconstructed with the help of history criticism, discourse archaeology, and media archaeology. Following that, technology–oriented tools and methods are gathered for describing ‘old’ computers within an ‘archaeography’ and analyzing them within a mid-range theory. Methods of computer science, electronics, diagrammatics etc. supersede hermeneutical methods of historiography. Additional tools (re-enactment, demonstration, computer philology) from media science and other disciplines complement this set of methods. Retro computing sets the frame for 4 computer archaeological projects about early micro computers (1975-85): 1. a computer philological analysis of a ‘traditional’ computer demo; 2. the development of a “Game of Life” on an 8-bit platform; 3. the development of a new computer game for a 1978 gaming console; 4. the reparation of an 8-bit computer done by a hardware hacker. These projects are discussed afterwards to gain the specific didactical modus operandi of retro computing hobbyists. Just like historical home computing (starting from the late 1970s) retro computing autodidactically gathers theoretical, historical, and practical knowledge by trial and error, gamification, and e-learning through a “learning by doing” procedure. The confrontation of three historical examples with three actual retro computing projects will prove this. The didactical reflection of retro computing projects describes a ‘retro didactic’ that would be useful for a broad application of historic sensitive, computer scientific knowledge with the help of less complex systems like early microcomputers are.

Refractive index measurements of the Strontium-Barium-Niobate (SBN) crystals show that none of the known second-harmonic-generation scheme (SHG) can be hold responsible for the SHG in SBN. Based on observations of the SHG experiments carried out with several compositions of the crystals in different setup-geometries a new model of second harmonic generaion was developed. The new SHG model, domain-induced second-harmonic generation (DISHG), which considers that the needle-like domain structure of this material plays an active role in the quasi phase matching of the produced second harmonic light has been experimentally proved using two different experiments. The new SHG process in the SBN crystals is a potential light source of cylindrically polarized light. The easy way of obtaining cylindrically polarized light with the SBN crystal broadens the potential applications for this material. The (DISHG) allows to investigate several properties of the ferroelectric domains. Using SHG measurements it was possible to analyze the development of the domain densities for domains of different sizes during the poling of the crystal. SHG measurements allow us to determine the minimum length of the ferroelectric domains. It was shown that this does not depend on the [Sr]/[Ba] ratio and domains are not getting longer after the sample was poled, except for the case of doped SBN. The ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition has also been investigated. From the inflection point of the nonlinear susceptibility as function of the temperature the phase transition temperature was determined. The non fully-linear dependence of the phase transition temperature as function of the [Sr]/[Ba] ratio can be explained by a system of three different sublattices at the crystallographic positions of Strontium and Barium atoms.

Several SBN-x crystals of different composition have been investigated using the following methods: Optical absorption in the band gap spectral region, optical absorption of the OH-stretch-mode in the near infrared, Raman scattering, pyroelectric and dielectric measurements.The band edge position depends on the crystal composition in a non-linear manner, thus showing band bowing, typical for mixed systems. A new method has been developed to increase the hydrogen content in the bulk. This doping depends on the composition in an almost linear manner. The observed OH stretch mode spectra have been deconvoluted into three sub bands which can be attributed to different sites in the lattice. The composition dependent spectra have been modelled with a few parameters, using different line shapes and both linear and quadratic dependences of the band position.Raman spectra of several crystals of different composition were recorded for four different scattering configurations. Changes for wave numbers below 500 have been found, but could not attributed to particular modes. A prominent feature at about 600 wave numbers was not disturbed by other modes allowing a decomposition and an assigned of this mode to a certain vibration. It was found that the behaviour of this mode is governed by the [Sr]/[Ba] ratio in the pentagonal channel of SBN-x.The ferroelectric relaxor phase-transition of SBN-x has been studied with pyroelectric measurements. From the nonlinear susceptibility as a function of temperature the phase-transition temperature was deduced using the inflection point. The non fully-linear dependence of the phase-transition temperature as a function of the [Sr]/[Ba] ratio can be explained by a system of three different sublattices for the Strontium and Barium atoms.First results obtained with a setup for measuring the dielectric constant confirmed already reported data of other groups.

The North American Wall mafic dikes and the diorite of the Rockslides mafic complex in the intrusive suite of Yosemite Valley show evidence of mixing with their host granites as well as with earlier components. Whole rock major element variation diagrams indicate the mafic rocks mixed with a more silicic component, but extrapolating to the silica end member does not yield the same result with each element. Trace element concentrations show a wide variation in concentration of Cr and Ni, with two samples showing enrichment in Cr (>300 ppm) and Ni (~44 ppm) compared to other samples (Cr =13-94 ppm; Ni = 5-26 ppm). These samples have the most primitive epsilon Nd values (-3.3, -3.5 at 100 Ma) analyzed thus far for the intrusive suite, indicating the suite has a larger range of isotopic values than previously thought. Delta 18 oxygen for Rockslides samples vary from 6.6 to 7.5 per mille (6 samples, average 7.03), higher than the 5.5 + 0.3 range for the mantle, indicating the presence of a crustal component in the system. Plagioclase phenocrysts within each unit display bimodal compositional populations. Subhedral to euhedral partially resorbed calcic cores (mode = An84-88) are reminiscent of a mafic magma, while sodic rims (mode = An48-50) are the product of a more silicic component. Very little to no intermediate zoning is present between cores and rims. Mineral-scale 87Sr/86Sr analysis of plagioclase cores and rims are consistent with previously published enriched bulk-rock ratios for the suite (0.7065-0.7078), but are unable to distinguish between mixing components. The plagioclase isotopic data show no direct evidence for a depleted mantle melt component contaminated by crustal assimilation. However, the mafic rocks are comparable to high-alumina basalts, whose generation involves crystal fractionation and magma mixing/crustal assimilation. The evolution of these high-alumina basalts provides an opportunity for magma contamination to take place before plagioclase crystallization, thus explaining why plagioclase core-rim analysis could not distinguish between mixing components. Therefore, it is possible but not necessary to derive the rocks from an enriched mantle source, especially since the bulk-rock oxygen isotopic values indicate a significant crustal component is present.

For over a decade, Brigham Young University's Microwave Earth Remote Sensing (MERS) team has been developing SAR systems and SAR processing algorithms. In order to create the most accurate image reconstruction algorithms, detailed aircraft motion data is essential. In 2008, the MERS team purchased a costly inertial measurement unit (IMU) coupled with a high precision global positioning system (GPS) from NovAtel, Inc. In order to lower the cost of obtaining detailed motion measurements, the MERS group decided to build a system that mimics the capability the NovAtel system as closely as possible for a much lower cost. As a first step, the same sensors and a simplified set of flight dynamics are used. This thesis presents a standalone motion sensor recording system (MOTRON), and outlines a method of utilizing the square-root Unscented Kalman filter (SR-UKF) to estimate aircraft flight dynamics, based on recorded flight data, as an alternative to the extended Kalman filter. While the results of the SR-UKF are not as precise as the NovAtel results, they approach the accuracy of the NovAtel system despite the simplified dynamics model.

Testing oral proficiency is an important, but often neglected part of the foreign language classroom. Currently accepted methods in testing oral proficiency are timely and expensive. Some work has been done to test and implement new assessment methods, but have focused primarily on English or Spanish (Graham et al. 2008). In this thesis, I demonstrate that the processes established for English and Spanish elicited imitation (EI) testing are relevant to French EI testing. First, I document the development, implementation and evaluation of an EI test to assess French oral proficiency. I also detail the incorporation of the use of automatic speech recognition to score French EI items. Last, I substantiate with statistical analyses that carefully engineered, automatically scored French EI items correlate to a high degree with French OPI scores.

Mental health problems are associated with significant losses in work productivity and, consequently, have significant ramifications for business entities and the general economy. Several instruments have been developed to measure productivity-related constructs such as absenteeism and presenteeism. The current study examines the utility of the Outcome Questionnaire-45 (OQ), a commonly used mental health questionnaire, in predicting work productivity. This relationship is explored as a preliminary step in assessing the degree to which changes in mental health brought about by psychotherapy will improve work productivity. Forty-nine participants were recruited from a call center in a small market research firm based in the Western United States. Work productivity was measured using four subscales of the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire as well as an objective measure. The OQ and WPAI were administered on a weekly basis over the course of five weeks. Participant characteristic variables and work-time variables were also measured. A mixed models analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with repeated measures showed that the Social Role (SR) Scale, a subscale of the OQ, was a significant predictor of Presenteeism, Overall Work Impairment, and Activity Impairment subscales. Latent growth modeling (LGM) was used to examine the relationship between the variables while accounting for individual trajectory differences. Although the results suggested that an unconditional model of Overall Work Impairment with SR as a time-varying covariate provided a good fit for the data, standardized regression weights between the variables were not significant. Implications of findings, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Missing page viii. Page 171 was repeated with different text. / <p> The decay of 14.9 min. ⁸⁹Rb to levels in ⁸⁹Sr has been studied by use of Ge(Li) detectors, NaI(Tl) detectors and a magnetic beta ray spectrometer. Fourteen gamma rays have been studied by ɣ-ɣ and β-ɣ coincidence experiments and establish levels at 0, 1.031, 2,000, 2.277, 2.567, 2.708, 2.770, 3.225 and 3.500 MeV. The Q value is 4.486 ± .012 Mev. </p> <p> The techniques of beta and gamma ray spectroscopy using Ge(Li), NaI(Tl) and plastic beta detectors have been applied in the study of the decay of 3.2 min. ⁸⁹Kr to levels in ⁸⁹Rb. Seventy nine of the one hundred and eleven observed gamma rays have been classified in the proposed decay scheme. The Q value is 5.15 ± .03 MeV. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Schüler/innen zu befähigen, die allgegenwärtige Rechentechnik in ihrem Umweld zu erkennen und zu bewerten ist ein international proklamiertes Ziel sekundärer Informatikbildung. Zu diesem Zweck müssen sie von ihrem schulischen Wissen auch tatsächlich im Alltag Gebrauch machen. Ausgehend von Theorien zu Lerntransfer und existierender Forschung zu Schülervorstellungen, untersucht diese Dissertation die Denk- und Lernprozesse von Schüler/innen über konkrete informatische Geräte. Die erste Studie untersucht, welche Arten von Technik Schüler/innen allgemein unterscheiden. Ich stelle eine Grounded Theory zu einer entsprechenden Taxonomie vor. Diese legt nahe, dass Rechentechnik keine vordergründige Kategorie für sie darstellt, was entsprechenden Transfer erschweren würde. Die zweite Studie untersucht, wie Schüler/innen Rechen- von Nicht-Rechentechnik unterscheiden. Ich stelle eine Grounded Theory entsprechender Denkprozesse vor. Diese zeigt, dass etliche Schüler/innen Rechentechnik unsachgemäß anhand inhärenter Fähigkeitsgrenzen unterscheiden, was ebenfalls Transfer behindern würde. Die dritte Studie untersucht daraufhin Lernprozesse im Kontext einer Intervention, die die oben genannten Punkte adressieren soll. Sie zeigt, dass einige Schüler/innen Probleme damit haben, Rechentechnik als gleichzeitig ökonomisch und leistungsfähig zu verstehen, was wiederum seine Verbreitung und Auswirkungen einschränkt. Die Analyse legt zudem erste Richtlinien für das Design entsprechender Interventionen nahe. Die Studien werden anschließend integriert diskutiert. Insbesondere stelle ich Lernziele und Aktivitäten vor, welche eine Teilantwort meiner ursprünglichen Leitfrage bilden: was müssen Schüler/innen lernen, um Rechentechnik im Alltag adäquat zu erkennen und zu bewerten? Ich diskutiere Implikationen für die Praxis sowie potentielle weiterführende Forschung, vor allem im Bezug zu einer Informatikbildung, die sich als Säule moderner Allgemeinbildung versteht. / Enabling students to recognize and evaluate the ubiquitous computing technologies in their lives is an internationally proclaimed goal of a secondary informatics education. To that end, they need to actually engage with their school-learned knowledge in the context of everyday situations. Based on theories of knowledge transfer and prior research on student conceptions, this thesis investigates students' related thinking and learning processes. The first study investigates what kinds of technology students generally distinguish. I propose a grounded theory for a related taxonomy. It suggests that computing technology is, in fact, not a very salient kind of technology for many, which poses a challenge for related transfer. The second study investigates how students even distinguish computing from non-computing technology. I propose a grounded theory of their related reasoning processes. It shows that students may inappropriately distinguish computing devices on the basis of inherent capability limitations, which would also be detrimental to transfer. The third study investigates students' learning processes in the context of an intervention designed to address these issues. It revealed that several students apparently had difficulty to conceive of computing technology as simultaneously economical and powerful, thus limiting its potential ubiquity and impact. The analysis also indicates some initial guidelines for the design of related interventions. The three studies are then integrated and discussed. In particular, I propose a set of learning objectives and activities as a partial answer to my original guiding question: what is it that students need to learn in order to adequately recognize and evaluate computing technologies in their lives? I discuss implications for practice and potential avenues for future research, especially with respect to a general informatics education that regards itself as part of a contemporary general education.