This study compared the treatment acceptability of four social skills interventions that are commonly used with children with autism, as rated by parents of children with autism spectrum disorders, general education teachers, and special education teachers. Using the survey method and the Treatment Evaluation Inventory-Short Form, ratings of the acceptability of social stories, cognitive-behavorial programs, peer-mediated interactions, and technological devices were explored. The influence of ethnicity of respondent, age of child, and problem severity on acceptability ratings was also investigated. Major findings were as follows: (a) all four of the social skills programs were viewed as acceptable interventions; (b) treatment acceptability ratings were not influenced by group membership, ethnicity (Caucasian/Non-Caucasian), child age, and problem severity; (c) peer-mediated interactions and cognitive-behavioral programs received the highest rankings, followed by social stories and technological devices; (d) significant associations were found between group membership and the overall rankings of cognitive-behavioral programs and technological devices. Study limitations and implications for intervention are also discussed.

Concrete pavements are facing rapid deterioration due to the increasing high traffic volumes. Maintenance, rehabilitation and reconstruction (MRR) have become major activities for all the state highway agencies. Due to shortage of available funding and continuous aging of pavements, many state highway agencies are now seeking cost-effective MRR strategies. This has led a need to develop a systematic and comprehensive decision process for selecting the optimum MRR strategy that considers pavement, traffic and construction issues. This research is an effort to help the state highway agencies select the maintenance, rehabilitation and reconstruction strategy for concrete pavements. The research identifies feasibility, suitability and acceptability criteria that every MRR strategy should meet. The rehabilitation strategies satisfying these criteria are then weighed in decision process to determine the optimum rehabilitation strategy. Research also focuses on developing recommendations for statewide methods for rehabilitating jointed concrete pavements so as to minimize reflective cracking. Data was collected from relevant project case studies to assess and improve the framework for decision process. Further research will be required to enhance the selection process.

Empathy development programmes (EDP) are currently implemented in several New Zealand primary schools. Research has indicated a variety of potentially beneficial outcomes to these programmes yet a gap in literature is evident in New Zealand regarding the social acceptability of school-based EDP’s. As social acceptability of any programme influences its efficacy and sustainability, this gap in literature indicates an apparent oversight for the successful implementation of these programmes. To address this gap in literature, 68 students training for a teaching career rated the acceptability of a scenario which outlined a hypothetical EDP implemented in a hypothetical class. Results of this study indicated that students found the notion of implementing an EDP in primary schools highly acceptable. Using the same hypothetical EDP, 33 parents of primary school-aged children rated the acceptability of two different scenarios outlining implementation in two age-specified hypothetical classes. Results of this study indicated that parents found the notion of implementing an EDP in both age-specified classes highly acceptable, although implementation in the younger class was found to be more acceptable than in the older class. As suggested by the results of both studies, the degree of acceptability was related to participant perceptions of the programme’s goals, procedures and potential outcomes, therefore implying that these meet the social needs of the public.

Introduction Nearly all flat panel video display monitors have luminance and colour variations as the angle of view varies from the monitor’s perpendicular. The new MicrotileTM displays developed by Christie Digital are no exception to this general finding. A review of any book on colour science will show that there is substantial amount of literature on just noticeable colour differences within various colour spaces. Despite the wealth of data on the topic, there is no general consensus across different industries as to which colour space and colour difference equations are appropriate. Several factors like the background colour, object size, texture of the stimulus are different for different studies; these factors make it very difficult to determine precisely the effect of viewing angle on the perception of coloured images on the Microtiles display based on previous research. Hence, the objective of this thesis was to quantify the measured colour shifts of a Microtile display at different viewing angles, in steps of perceptible thresholds and to evaluate the acceptability of distortions at different viewing angles for complex scenes. Methods A preliminary experiment was setup to study the behaviour of Microtile display primaries as a function of viewing angle. The aim was to measure the shift in hue and luminance of the three primaries at different eccentricities (from 0o to 40o). The measured trend was used to simulate Microtile shifts on complex images for the rating task. In the first part of the perceptibility experiment, three reference colours were picked and 12 vectors heading towards the blue-yellow region of the L*a*b* colour space (pertaining to the colour shifts noticed with the Microtile displays). A uniform reference colour was presented in three of the four quadrants on the CRT monitor and one quadrant changed colour in the direction of the sampled vector. An adaptive, four alternate forced choice procedure was employed to determine thresholds for each of the 3 reference colours. The adaptive technique used was a ZEST paradigm. In the second part of the perceptibility experiment, eighteen directions were sampled around each reference colour. The rating task was based on simulating the measured attenuations of the Microtile primaries on complex scenes. Subjects rated the images both in terms of acceptability/unacceptability and as percentage image degradation. The simulation was presented on three static complex images, car, landscape and portrait. A total of 60 subjects participated in the study, 20 subjects for each experiment. All subjects were between the age group of 15 to 35 years of age and underwent battery of colour vision tests before being included in the study. All subjects included had average to superior colour discrimination as categorized using the FM-100 Hue discrimination test. Results Study1: The preliminary study on Microtile display characteristics as a function of viewing angle showed that all the three primaries decreased in luminance with change in viewing angle. The red primary decreased at a faster rate compared to the other two primaries. The trend presents as a decrease in luminance with the hue shifting towards the blue-green region of the CIE1974 L*a*b* space. Study 2: Results from both the first and second parts of the perceptibility experiment showed that the vectors sampled in different directions approximated to ellipsoids in the L*a*b* colour space. This finding was consistent with the colour discrimination literature. Vectors on the equi-luminance plane were significantly longer than the vectors on the non equi-Luminance plane. Results showed that the average perceptibility thresholds in the non equi-luminance direction were lower than 1∆ELab¬¬¬¬. Study 3: Results from the rating experiments showed that irrespective of the complexities in the images, distortions greater than five times thresholds were less than 50% acceptable and were rated to be at least 30% degraded. This corresponds to a viewing angle greater than 10o for a Microtile display. The relationship between the stimulus (ΔE) and subjective Image degradation judgements followed a linear relationship, with the portrait and landscape having similar functions, whereas the car was rated more degraded at lower ΔEs and less degraded at higher ΔEs compared with the other two scenes. Conclusion Perceptibility thresholds for different reference colours showed that the conventionally used calibration precision of 1 ΔELab is a lenient criterion. Perceptibility thresholds are at least 25% less for the Microtile display reference condition. From the results of the rating data a distortion greater than five times thresholds is less than 50% acceptable and appears to be at least 30% degraded for static complex images. However, the image quality judgments appear to be related to scene context, which requires further study.

À la suite du paquet Énergie Climat Européen et des Grenelle de l’Environnement, l’État français lance à partir de 2011 une série d’appels d’offres et d’appels à manifestation d’intérêt pour la construction d’infrastructures d’énergies marines renouvelables (EMR) le long des côtes françaises, en particulier en Basse-Normandie, région fortement marquée par son lien avec le nucléaire civil et militaire. Les parties prenantes du développement des EMR y anticipent des problèmes d’« acceptabilité sociale ». L’objet de cette thèse est, à partir de l’étude des acteurs qui concourent au développement des EMR en Basse-Normandie et des dispositifs d’acceptabilité qu’ils mettent en place, d’appréhender le maintien et le renouvellement d’un système énergétique centralisé fondé sur le nucléaire, en y intégrant l’alternative renouvelable. S’appuyant sur une combinaison de techniques d’enquête (observation directe, entretiens, questionnaires, recueil de productions documentaires, de textes réglementaires et de documents biographiques) dont l’analyse s’appuie sur des méthodes principalement qualitatives, ce travail montre que le maintien du système énergétique opère à travers le gouvernement de la critique. Les acteurs locaux, y compris critiques des projets, sont mobilisés par les entreprises, l’État, les collectivités, et les scientifiques à l’aide de dispositifs visant à construire l’acceptabilité sociale. Avec ces dispositifs d’acceptabilité, on n’assiste pas à une transformation des projets techniques vers l’intégration de dimensions sociales, mais davantage à la translation d’enjeux sociaux en termes techniques. / Following the European Union climate and energy package and le Grenelle de l’Environment, the French State launched, from 2011, a series of calls for tender and for expressions of interest for the construction of infrastructures of Marine Renewable Energy (MRE). The planned infrastructures are located along the French coast, particularly in Lower Normandy, a region characterized by the production of civilian and military nuclear power. Stakeholders in the development of MREs anticipated problems of "social acceptability". This thesis, based on a study of the actors who participated in the development of MREs in Basse-Normandie and of the acceptability mechanisms they have put in place, focuses on maintaining a centralized energy system based on nuclear energy, that has integrated the renewable alternative. Based on a combination of survey techniques (direct observation, interviews, questionnaires, collection of documentary productions, regulatory texts and biographical documents) analysed mainly through qualitative methods, this thesis reveals that the maintaining of the energy system operates through the government of critique. Local actors, including those who oppose the project, are mobilized by companies, the state, regional public authorities, and scientists through mechanisms aiming to build social acceptance. Thus acceptability, as an instrument of governing, does not mean a transformation of technical projects towards a better integration of social dimensions, but rather a translation of social questions into technical terms.

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The scope of this study is divided into three topics. To begin, more accurate methods for estimating the fundamental natural frequencies of floors were explored. Improvements for predicting the behavior of floor systems using several criteria were also investigated. The final topic compared the AISC and SCI methods for analyzing vibrations acceptability. Natural frequency prediction was studied by examining 103 case studies involving floor systems of various framing occupied or being constructed in the United States and Europe. Based on the results from these comparisons, it was reasonably concluded that the predicted bay frequency using Dunkerly's estimate (fn2) is not the most accurate method for predicting the system frequency using the AISC Design Guide for all types of framing analyzed. The predicted beam frequency using AISC methods provided sound correlations with the measured bay frequencies. On the other hand, with the exception of floor systems with joist girders and joists, the results showed that the SCI methods provided more accurate predictions of bay frequency despite a fair amount of data scatter. Evaluations based on the AISC Design Guide 11, the SCI criteria Murray Criterion, and Modified Reiher-Meister scale were compared with subjective field analyses for each case study in the second part of this study. The AISC Design Guide criterion is the most consistent method for predicting floor behavior. The SCI criterion is the next most consistent method for floor acceptability, followed by the Murray Criterion then the Modified Reiher-Meister scale. In the final part of this study, predicted accelerations and floor behavior tolerability for 78 case studies were evaluated using the AISC and the SCI criteria. The two prediction methods are in agreement for 82 % (64 of 78) of the case studies, and strongly disagree for only 12 % (9 of 78) of the case studies. / Master of Science

Background Benefits of breastfeeding for infants and mothers are well recognized. South Africa has a very low breastfeeding rate. Strategies to improve and promote exclusive breastfeeding rates include implementation of human milk banks (HMB). The North West Province started its first HMB in 2012 and the success and sustainability will depend on numerous factors, including identification of possible barriers to donation or receiving donor human milk. In support of such an intervention, the attitudes of each relevant stakeholders, mothers, community members and health care providers on acceptability of donating and receiving donated breastmilk is therefore important for the success of such an intervention Objectives The objective of this dissertation was determining the attitudes on acceptability regarding the donation and receiving of human breast milk for key stakeholders, namely mothers, healthcare workers and the elderly representing grandmothers. Methods This study was conducted at a public hospital and nearby clinics in North West province, South Africa using qualitative research methodology of focus group discussions (FGDs) for data collection. Eight focus groups discussed the attitudes, 3 of mothers of 0 to 12 month old infants (n=13), 3 of elderly participants older than 60 years (n=17) and 2 of healthcare professionals, working with infants younger than 1 year (n=11). Results Important attitudes on acceptability of receiving and donating human donor milk were identified from the literature and this research project. Stakeholders had safety and cultural concerns regarding donation and receiving of donated human milk. Participants also indicated the need for education that may improve the attitudes. These findings may inform future policy planning and HMB promotion in communities. The identified attitudes reflected barriers to exclusive breast feeding, donating and receiving breast milk. These included, the need for HIV screening; cultural beliefs relating to transfer of personality traits and bonding and fears of not having enough milk for their own infants; perceived changes in quality of donated milk during pasteurisation and transportation as well as HIV transmission. Conclusion The study identified important attitudes that may be possible barriers and fears to accepting or donating human breast milk. Some of the identified attitudes could also limit exclusive breast feeding. Further research is recommended to determine how prevalent the identified attitudes are in this and similar community settings. / MSc (Dietetics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Background Benefits of breastfeeding for infants and mothers are well recognized. South Africa has a very low breastfeeding rate. Strategies to improve and promote exclusive breastfeeding rates include implementation of human milk banks (HMB). The North West Province started its first HMB in 2012 and the success and sustainability will depend on numerous factors, including identification of possible barriers to donation or receiving donor human milk. In support of such an intervention, the attitudes of each relevant stakeholders, mothers, community members and health care providers on acceptability of donating and receiving donated breastmilk is therefore important for the success of such an intervention Objectives The objective of this dissertation was determining the attitudes on acceptability regarding the donation and receiving of human breast milk for key stakeholders, namely mothers, healthcare workers and the elderly representing grandmothers. Methods This study was conducted at a public hospital and nearby clinics in North West province, South Africa using qualitative research methodology of focus group discussions (FGDs) for data collection. Eight focus groups discussed the attitudes, 3 of mothers of 0 to 12 month old infants (n=13), 3 of elderly participants older than 60 years (n=17) and 2 of healthcare professionals, working with infants younger than 1 year (n=11). Results Important attitudes on acceptability of receiving and donating human donor milk were identified from the literature and this research project. Stakeholders had safety and cultural concerns regarding donation and receiving of donated human milk. Participants also indicated the need for education that may improve the attitudes. These findings may inform future policy planning and HMB promotion in communities. The identified attitudes reflected barriers to exclusive breast feeding, donating and receiving breast milk. These included, the need for HIV screening; cultural beliefs relating to transfer of personality traits and bonding and fears of not having enough milk for their own infants; perceived changes in quality of donated milk during pasteurisation and transportation as well as HIV transmission. Conclusion The study identified important attitudes that may be possible barriers and fears to accepting or donating human breast milk. Some of the identified attitudes could also limit exclusive breast feeding. Further research is recommended to determine how prevalent the identified attitudes are in this and similar community settings. / MSc (Dietetics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This thesis explores the nature of linguistic introspection through the phenomenon known in the literature as the Syntactic Satiation Effect, where the perceived unacceptability of some syntactic structures is attenuated on repeated exposure. Recent findings suggest that rating change in experimental settings may not reveal the underlying grammatical status of syntactic objects by mitigating performance factors related to memory limitations, as initially proposed, but rather arise as a response bias conditioned by characteristics of some experimental designs, in effect introducing task-based performance factors. Findings from rating and reading times suggest that there is evidence supporting both accounts of rating change in experimental designs and highlights areas of development for the Experimental Syntax program. Exploring anecdotal reports, Snyder (2000) found that in as few as five exposures, participants found some types of wh-extraction anomaly (‘weak Islands’) significantly more acceptable at the end of the session compared to the beginning whereas others (‘strong Islands’) did not experience any rating improvement. Varied success in replicating initial results casts doubts on the proposal that rating data, experimentally elicited, can tease apart grammatical from performance sources of unacceptability. Sprouse (2009) suggests an alternative –Satiation arises as an artifact of a disproportionate number of ungrammatical to grammatical sentences in the testing session. This approach provides an explanation for the apparent mismatch in findings, but also highlights issues regarding the advances of experimental syntax: do experimental methods provide better data or do aspects of some designs systematically introduce extraneous influences themselves? Evidence from three rating and two self-paced reading tasks suggests that although robust evidence supporting the memory-based claim is not found, evidence that Satiation is strictly task-based is not substantiated either; sentences that satiate are similar across experiments. A novel observation is made that satiating sentences are also more readily interpretable than non-satiating sentences – providing some explanation for the apparent mismatch between Satiation studies, and also points to another source of variability associated with experimental approaches to linguistic intuition. In sum, evidence here underlines the composite nature of introspection, points areas of refinement for experimental techniques and advocates for the adoption of cross-methodological procedures to enhance syntactic investigation.