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The aim of this study is to investigate the changes in problem-solving abilities and learning attitudes of two elementary second graders after integrating picture books into problem-posing instruction and administering tests on addition and subtraction word problems. The case study approach was adopted; where two second graders, having difficulty in comprehending addition and subtraction word problems, were selected from the researcher¡¦s class. Both students were given addition and subtraction word problems problem-solving pretests and were interviewed afterwards to further analyze their problem-solving abilities and attitudes so as to refer to remedial instruction. After instructional activities came to an end, addition and subtraction word problems problem-solving posttests were then given. Students were interviewed to explore the changes in problem-solving abilities and learning attitudes. Data were collected by observations, interviews and collections of related documents (including two cases¡¦ addition and subtraction word problems pretest and posttest, problem-solving worksheets, problem-posing worksheets, learning diaries, researcher¡¦s teaching introspection record table, audio-taping, video-taping, etc.). The changes in cases¡¦ problem-solving abilities and learning attitudes were analyzed and the findings indicated were four. First, picture books create problem-solving context that can raise cases¡¦ learning motives. Second, with problem-posing process of all types of addition and subtraction word problems and practice, problem-solving abilities of the cases were improved in four dimensions (Being able to locate unknown in problem targets and the known conditions from word problems; being able to select appropriate schematic drawing and to identify its relationship with the problem; being able to set up equations; and, being able to examine whether answers were reasonable.). Third, the remedial instructions designed were able to raise cases¡¦ level of confidence in problem-solving. Fourth, implementing remedial instruction by integrating picture books into problem-posing instruction enables not only transforming one case¡¦s passive learning attitudes to positive but also maintaining the other case¡¦s original positive attitudes. The above four results indicated that implementing addition and subtraction word problems remedial instruction to two second graders by integrating picture books into problem-posing instruction helped to improve children¡¦s problem-solving abilities and learning attitudes. Implications on research and practice were also given.

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The surface-related multiple elimination (SRME) method has proven to be successful on a large number of data cases. Most of the applications are still 2D, as the full 3D implementation is still expensive and under development. However, the earth is a 3D medium, such that 3D effects are difficult to avoid. Most of the 3D effects come from diffractive structures, whereas the specular reflections normally have less of a 3D behavior. By separating the seismic data in a specular reflecting and a diffractive part, multiple prediction can be carried out with these different subsets of the input data, resulting in several categories of predicted multiples. Because each category of predicted multiples can be subtracted from the input data with different adaptation filters, a more flexible SRME procedure is obtained. Based on some initial results from a Gulf of Mexico dataset, the potential of this approach is investigated.

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) display severe social and academic deficits that can adversely affect their academic performance in mathematics and result in higher rates of failure throughout their schooling compared to other students with disabilities (U.S. Department of Education, 2005; Webber & Plotts, 2008). Furthermore, students with E/BD are at a greater risk of being served in more exclusionary and restrictive settings compared to their peers as a result of their poor social skills and chronic disruptive behaviors (Gagnon & Leone, 2005; Furney, Hasazi, Clark-Keefe, & Hartnett, 2003; U.S. Department of Education, 2005; Whorton, Siders, Fowler, & Naylor, 2000). This is of great concern as students with E/BD often receive lower grades, fail more classes, have higher drop-out rates, have fewer employment opportunities, and have increased involvement in the legal system (Bullock & Gable, 2006; Cullinan & Sabornie, 2004; Jolivette, Stichter, Nelson, Scott, & Liaupsin, 2000; Kauffman, 2001). The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of the equal additions algorithm on subtraction with regrouping on the subtraction performance of fourth-grade students with E/BD and mathematics difficulties. The equal additions algorithm was taught using a direct instruction technique. This study investigated 3 participants at the fourth grade level in a residential treatment facility which serves students with E/BD. A multiprobe multiple baseline across participants design was used for this study. Assessments used for this study included (a) Woodcock Johnson III (WJIII), (b) the ENRIGHT, (c) a student questionnaire, (d) baseline probes, and (e) an error analysis student profile. Data was analyzed by visual analysis. The results suggest that when the equal additions algorithm was systematically implemented students were able to successfully complete subtraction with regrouping problems and errors dramatically decreased. Limitations and future for research directions are discussed.

Background subtraction is the technique of segmenting moving foreground objects from stationary or dynamic background scenes. Background subtraction is a critical step in many computer vision applications including video surveillance, tracking, gesture recognition etc. This thesis addresses the challenges associated with the background subtraction systems due to the sudden illumination changes happening in an indoor environment. Most of the existing techniques adapt to gradual illumination changes, but fail to cope with the sudden illumination changes. Here, we introduce a Global change reactive background subtraction to model these changes as a regression function of spatial image coordinates. The regression model is learned from highly probable background regions and the background model is compensated for the illumination changes by the model parameters estimated. Experiments were performed in the indoor environment to show the effectiveness of our approach in modeling the sudden illumination changes by a higher order regression polynomial. The results of non-linear SVM regression were also presented to show the robustness of our regression model.

Background Subtraction is one of the fundamental pre-processing steps in video processing. It helps to distinguish between foreground and background for any given image and thus has numerous applications including security, privacy, surveillance and traffic monitoring to name a few. Unfortunately, no single algorithm exists that can handle various challenges associated with background subtraction such as illumination changes, dynamic background, camera jitter etc. In this work, we propose a Multiple Background Model based Background Subtraction (MB2S) system, which is universal in nature and is robust against real life challenges associated with background subtraction. It creates multiple background models of the scene followed by both pixel and frame based binary classification on both RGB and YCbCr color spaces. The masks generated after processing these input images are then combined in a framework to classify background and foreground pixels. Comprehensive evaluation of proposed approach on publicly available test sequences show superiority of our system over other state-of-the-art algorithms.

Nonlinear mesoscopic elastic (NME) materials present ananomalous nonlinear elastic behavior, which could not beexplained by classical theories. New physical mechanismsshould be individuated to explain NMEs response.Dislocations in damaged metals, fluids in rocks andadhesion (in composites) could be plausible. In this thesisI have searched for differences in the macroscopic elasticresponse of materials which could be ascribed to differentphysical processes. I have found that the nonlinearindicators follow a power law behavior as a function of theexcitation energy, with exponent ranging from 1 to 3 (thisis not completely new). This allowed to classify materialsinto well-defined classes, each characterized by a value ofthe exponent and specific microstructural properties. Tolink the measured power law exponent to plausiblephysical mechanisms, I have extended thePreisach-Mayergoyz formalism for hysteresis to multi-statemodels. Specific multi-state discrete models have beenderived from continuous microscopic physical processes,such as adhesion-clapping, adhesion-capillary forces,dislocations motion and hysteresis. In each model, themicroscopic behavior is described by a multistate equationof state, with parameters which are statisticallydistributed. Averaging over many microscopic elements theso-called mesoscopic equation of state is derived and, fromwave propagation simulations in a sample composed bymany mesoscopic elements, the experimental results couldbe reproduced. In the work of the thesis, I have shownthat model predictions of the exponent b ( the exponent bhas not been introduced before) are linked in a 'a priori'predictable way to the number of states and the propertiesof the statistical distribution adopted. We have classifiedmodels into classes defined by a different exponent b andcomparing with experimental results we have suggestedplausible mechanisms for the nonlinearity generation.

This project investigates primary 4 children's difficulties when solving word problems. It consists of an exploratory study examining the feasibility of using task-based interviews in the school setting; and a main study divided into three phases. The tasks set to the children are selected/adapted word problems from SPNG textbook Stage 2. Phase 1 investigates the difficulties of forty "average" primary 4 children from five different schools. Task-based interviews are used in conjunction with an error analysis. Phase 2 makes structural alterations to six of the most difficult Phase 1 word problems to investigate more closely the possible cause of difficulty. These altered word problems are re-presented to the Phase 1 sample. The original problems are not re-presented to this sample as the task-based interviews allowed for considerable practice of these original problems. Phase 3 took place a year later than Phase 2 and presents the structurally altered word problems alongside the original problems to a different, but similar sample. This sample consists of 126 children from the five schools participating during Phase 1/2. It is suggested that the findings do not support the view that a small unvarying number of variables consistently affect problem difficulty. Rather the sources of difficulty are likely to stem from a number of highly complex interacting sources; and the language itself need not be the block it sometimes appears to be. Informal strategies were evidently important for a significant minority of children, particularly in relation to subtraction problems. This seems well worth investigating further. The use of these strategies suggested that the language of the word problem could be understood when the child could link it to his/her informal strategies. Also, given simpler numbers, the semantic implications of the problem could often be mastered.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo verificar o papel do ensino na aprendizagem da relação inversa entre adição e subtração e se o cálculo relacional pode ajudar no entendimento dessa relação inversa. Os objetivos específicos são: verificar diferenças na compreensão da relação inversa entre adição e subtração antes e após intervenção; e identificar, após a intervenção, as influências do entendimento do cálculo relacional na compreensão da relação inversa. A proposta caracterizou-se por uma pesquisa-intervenção com abordagem qualiquantitativa, realizada com alunos do PROEJA FIC do Instituto Federal Farroupilha, Campus São Borja/RS. O trabalho foi desenvolvido em quatro sessões, com oficinas de problemas matemáticos e aplicação de testes: um pré-teste, aplicado antes da primeira sessão; um pósteste, aplicado após a última sessão; e um pós-teste tardio, aplicado três meses após a última sessão. Para a análise quantitativa utilizamos o método de Análise de Variância (ANOVA) e realizamos uma análise qualitativa das observações, resolução dos problemas e das estratégias utilizadas nos problemas. No pré-teste houve uma pequena diferença de acertos em relação ao pós-teste, já na comparação com o pós-teste tardio os alunos retornaram ao ponto inicial, com o mesmo número de acertos do pré-teste. Ao verificarmos os tipos de problemas, percebemos que no bloco de problemas diretos os alunos tiveram o maior número de acertos. O bloco de problemas indiretos de início desconhecido foi os que os alunos mais erraram, porém no bloco de problemas indiretos de adendo desconhecido houve um aumento do número de acertos do pré-teste para o pós-teste tardio. Na análise dos dados, destacamos que os alunos do PROEJA FIC não compreendem a relação inversa entre adição e subtração, pois ao representar os problemas erraram o resultado por não entender a relação apontada no enunciado. Isso indica desconhecimento do cálculo relacional, porque ao escolherem incorretamente o cálculo para resolver um problema é evidente que as estratégias mentais utilizadas não estão adequadas. Diante disso, constatamos que os alunos do PROEJA FIC estudados não compreendem a relação inversa entre adição e subtração, devido ao fato de ainda não entenderem as relações e os conceitos que envolvem a estrutura aditiva. Assim, as quatro sessões de intervenção foram insuficientes com relação às necessidades apresentadas pelos alunos, sendo que para obter um resultado mais eficaz, com adultos, sugerimos um maior número de intervenções. / This study aims to determine the role of teaching in learning the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction and the relational calculus can help in understanding this inverse relationship. The specific objectives are: to determine differences in understanding the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction before and after intervention; and to identify, after the intervention, the influences of knowing relational calculus in order to understand the inverse relationship. The proposal was characterized by an intervention-research with qualiquantitative approach, conducted with PROEJA FIC students from the Instituto Federal Farroupilha, São Borja Câmpus/RS. The study was carried out in four sessions with mathematical problems workshops and tests application: a pre-test, applied before the first session; a post-test, applied after the last session; and a delayed post-test, applied three months after the last session. For the quantitative analysis we used the method of analysis of variance (ANOVA) and performed a qualitative analysis of the observations, problems solving and strategies used in the problems. During the pre-test there was a small difference in hits in relation to the post-test. When compared to the delayed post-test, the students returned to their starting point, with the same number of hits from the pre-test. When we observed the types of problems involved, we noticed that the students had the highest number of hits on the block of direct problems. The block of indirect problems with unknown beginning was the one the students missed the most, but in the block of indirect problems with unknown addendum there was an increased number of hits from the pre-test to the delayed post-test. During the data analysis, we highlight that the PROEJA FIC students did not understand the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction, since when representing the problems they failed by not understanding the relationship indicated in the statement. This demonstrates a lack of knowledge on relational calculus, because by choosing incorrectly the calculus to solve a problem it is clear that the mental strategies used are not appropriate. Therefore, we observed that the PROEJA FIC students do not understand the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction, due to the fact they are still not able to understand the relationships and concepts involving the additive structure. Thus, the four intervention sessions were insufficient regarding the needs presented by the students. In order to obtain a more effective result with adults, we suggest a higher number of interventions.