The primary aim of this study is to determine whether it is possible to standardize written feedback on L2 student writing for use in a computerised marking environment. It forms part of a bigger project aimed at enhancing the feedback process as a whole The study attempts to establish "best practice" with regards to feedback on writing, by establishing from the literature what works and what should be avoided. Also, an empirical study was launched to establish what lecturers focus on and what marking techniques they use. A set of randomly selected essays from the Tswana Learner English Corpus and the Afrikaans Learner English Corpus were sent to the English departments of different tertiary institutions across the country. The essays were marked by the English lecturers at the relevant institutions. The conclusion was that lecturers typically focus on surface structures, and use ineffective marking techniques. The best practice (and data from the empirical study) was then used to create a set of standardised feedback comments (tag set) that can be used in a specially programmed software package in which students submit their texts electronically. Lecturers can then mark the student essays on the computer, hopefully speeding up the process, while at the same time giving much more detailed feedback. In later stages of the bigger project, students will get individualized exercises based on the feedback, and there are experiments currently being run to try and automate certain pans of the marking process in order to take some strain off the lecturers when marking. The immense archiving abilities of the computer will also be utilized in order to create opportunities for longitudinal studies. The effectiveness of the feedback tag set was tested in comparison to the marking techniques used by the lecturers in the empirical study and a self-correcting exercise. The conclusion was that the feedback tag set is more effective than the other two techniques. but students seem to perform weak overall when it gets to the revision of cohesive devices and supporting arguments. I argue that students are not used to revising these features, since lecturers seldom (if ever) comment on the structural elements of texts. However, the experiment proves that standardization of written feedback is possible to an extent. The implications of the findings are discussed, and recommendations for further research are made. / Thesis (M.A. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006

This dissertation focuses on reexamining traditional management problems that emerge in service systems where customers or jobs queue for service. In particular, we investigate how a manger should make maintenance and routing decisions in settings where there is a departure from traditional modeling assumptions. In many cases, the performance evaluation of a management problems has, at its heart, a complex, infinite Markov chain which must be solved before any optimization can begin. Unfortunately, most Markov chains are not analytically tractable. In the first essay, we address the solution of infinite state Markov chains. We focus on class M Markov chains, a broad class of chains which is representative of a wide array of problems arising in the management of computer, service, and manufacturing systems where queueing parameters change over time according to a restricted stochastic pattern. We develop a new method, called Clearing Analysis on Phases, for the limiting probability distribution of such chains in exact closed form. In the second essay, we apply the CAP method to answer the question of how a manager should maintain a system in a setting where an online customer-facing service is vulnerable to persistent malware infections. These infections can cause performance degradation and facilitate data theft, both of which have monetary repercussions. Infections can go undetected and can only be removed by a timeconsuming cleanup procedure, which takes the service offline and causes all existing jobs to be discarded without service. In particular, we provide recommendations for when (and in response to what events) a manager should initiate cleanup procedures by solving an infinite state maintenance problem. We quantify the efficiency of various cleanup (maintenance) policies by proposing a revenue model which incorporates both delay-based pricing and data theft costs. In the third essay, we examine queueing systems in call centers and answer the question of a how a manager should route customers to strategic staff who choose their own service rates in response to workload incentives. We address this problem using game theoretic techniques. In particular, we introduce a utility model where the servers choose their service rate in order to maximize a tradeoff between an “effort cost” and a “value of idleness.” We find that relaxing the classical assumption that all servers work at a fixed rate renders traditional routing policies inadequate. Our approach allows us to recommend novel routing policies that are both fair for the staff and efficient for the customers. In the fourth essay we look at web server farms and answer the question of how jobs should be immediately routed to computer servers in a setting where some jobs are more valuable or more important than others. Such settings arise when some jobs are generated by users who are paying for a premium service. We address how a manager should incorporate information about a job’s value when making routing decisions in order to minimize expected value-weighted response times. The heterogeneity in job values greatly the dimensionality of this problem. Via a combination of exact analysis, asymptotic analysis, and simulation, we are able to deduce many unexpected results regarding routing.

Chinese language is the only ideographic language remaining in the world (Osaka, 1976). It conveys affluent Chinese culture and has great influences on the East Asian countries (Miyake, 2013). In the economic globalization of the world, China's economy and international influence are expanding. For these reasons and many more the Chinese language is widely accepted as one of the major world languages. It makes sense then Chinese language classes are experiencing popularity and growth with United States undergraduates. Despite this growth, however, the enrollment of African American students is constantly low in college Chinese language classrooms (Li, Wen, & Xie, 2014). This call to action argues that this low representation of African American students lies on a course promotion system that denies African American students a preliminary learning opportunity that systematically limits their representation in Chinese language classrooms from the beginning.<br> This call for action examines systematic avenues for creating early opportunities. First the study explores the utility of offering African American students an informational workshop introducing the features of the language and the potential benefits of learning it. Next the study examines the leverage that could be gained by providing direct feedback and assessing student interest to explore whether students are more inclined to enroll in Chinese language courses following the information workshop. Such a process could lead to suggested policy changes that might close the enrollment gap between the African American students and their peers. This call for action considers the reality that even a well-designed action plan may not always produce positive consequences. Therefore, an impact evaluation is explored along with suggested instruments and uses. Finally possible outcomes of an impact evaluation are described.<br> To ground this call for action, a set of foundational theories are employed that mainly include networked improvement communities, leadership and teamwork, and critical theories. The call for action strongly suggests the iterative cycle of Plan, Design, Study, and Act (PDSA) of the NIC improvement science (Bryk, Gomez, & Grunow, 2011) in the change process beginning with the examination of a local four-year university Chinese Studies Program. / School of Education; / Professional Doctorate in Educational Leadership (ProDEL) / EdD; / Dissertation;

I och med att invandringen i Sverige har ökat så har behovet av tolkade samtal blivit större. Kommunikationen är grunden för en säker och fungerande vård. Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva distriktssköterskors upplevelser av tolksamtal inom primärvården. Resultatet i studien baseras på ostrukturerade intervjuer med nio distriktssköterskor. Intervjuerna analyserades med en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Analysen resulterade i fem kategorier: Att planera inför samtalet, att skapa förutsättningar för ett lyckat samtal, att tolken är koncentrerad och objektiv, att rätt översättning är en förutsättning för trygg omvårdnad och att se fördelar med att välja en auktoriserad tolk. Resultatet visar att tolkade samtal tar längre tid och kräver mer planering. Att både distriktssköterskans och tolkens bemötande och förhållningssätt har betydelse för ett lyckat samtal. Distriktssköterskor känner osäkerhet att det de sagt tolkas rätt. De framhåller trygghet för patienten som en viktig del i samtalet och de föredrar auktoriserade tolkar framför kollegor och närstående till patienten. Sammanfattningsvis så visar resultatet av studien att det med tolksamtal både finns möjligheter och svårigheter där både distriktssköterskan och tolken ansvarar för att samtalet blir lyckat. Mer forskning behövs där tydliga rutiner med åtgärder och rekommendationer vid tolksamtal bör tas fram för att övervinna språkbarriärer i framtiden.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Finding the optimal solution for the call-center scheduling problem can be done by using Microsoft Excel with an integer programming software add-in. Utilizing VBA, we are able to vary start, break, and lunch times as well as number of employees. By creating a list of all possible schedules that follow these requirements, we use the optimization engine to solve for the best possible combination of individual schedules. Custom programs for optimization such as this are becoming a vital part of the world today as decisions need to be made quickly. This flexible and easy to use scheduling tool saves time and effort while creating peace of mind knowing that the best possible solution has been found. Using this tool, we are able to decrease the amount of time to create schedules from approximately 15 hours of manual work to 25.2 seconds. Additionally, we are able to improve the accuracy of meeting the forecast – guaranteeing all manpower demand is met with an efficient and reliable tool. Accuracy, efficiency, and reliability are traits that anyone could wish for, and this tool makes that possible.

Faith community nursing is one of the newest specialized practices of professional nursing. A faith community nurse is an actively registered professional nurse, who serves as a paid or volunteer staff member in a faith community. The faith community nurse promotes health and wholism of the faith community, its groups, families, and individual members. A faith community, as in a church, synagogue or mosque, is an organization of individuals and families who share common beliefs, values, religious doctrine, and faith practices that influence their lives. The faith community functions as a client system for the faith community nurse. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the experiences of Protestant faith community nurses "living the call" to health ministry. Previous researchers have explored the roles of the faith community nurse, but have not specifically investigated the experience of living the call. A hermeneutical phenomenological methodology was used to answer the question, "What is the lived experience of faith community nurses living the call to health ministry?" The participants were ten Caucasian female faith community nurses residing in four regions in the Commonwealth of Virginia. All participants acknowledged receiving a "call" to health ministry. A structured interview of 60 to 90 minutes was conducted with each participant. The interview consisted of structured and semi-structured questions and explored the meaning of living the call to health ministry. Data were analyzed using the phenomenological method of Max van Manen. Five themes emerged including: 1) the calling; 2) relating to God in living the call; 3) practice in living the call; 4) challenges in living the call; and 5) blessings in living the call. Participants described the experiences of the callings to health ministry, consistent communications with God and the challenges and blessings of faith community nursing. The practices of faith community nurses were also described by the participants. The findings provide a glimpse into the lifeworld of the faith community nurse living the call to health ministry. This study may be helpful to others wanting to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of the calling to health ministry as well as the experiences of relating to God, practice, challenges, and blessings.

Title: Supporting multiplatform applications with YA-RPC Author: František Kovařík Department: Department of Software Engineering Supervisor: RNDr. Petr Hnětynka, Ph.D. Supervisor's e-mail address: hnetynka@d3s.mff.cuni.cz Abstract: Over the last three decades, Remote Procedure Call (RPC) has become a popular inter-computer and inter-process communication paradigm widely used by a variety of interconnected computer systems. Even though a number of RPC protocols and implementations evolved over those years, no single system offers a significant set of features, while providing an easy-to-use application programming interface. In this thesis, we present Yet Another Remote Procedure Call - YaRpc, a specification of a flexible and programmer friendly middleware that offers advanced features such as pluggable transports and protocols, callbacks, and configurable method dispatch. Additionally, we define YaRpc Native Protocol (YNP), a new light-weight high-performance RPC protocol with a rich set of features. We provide a native implementation of both YaRpc middleware and YNP protocol for Java and .NET Framework, and compare its usability with Java RMI, .NET Remoting and SOAP web services. Keywords: YaRpc, remote procedure call, distributed system

La pratique de l’assistance spirituelle en milieu hospitalier consiste, selon les textes législatifs, à répondre aux besoins spirituels du patient. Mais l’attente qu’éprouve un patient en fin de vie ne peut se réduire ni à un pur besoin, ni à un pur désir. A partir d’un travail anthropologique, philosophique et d’analyse des dialogues d’accompagnement, les notions d’hospitalité, de silence, de soin, de désir et d’éveil éclairent cette recherche. La présence silencieuse répond en premier lieu à un appel exprimé par le patient. Cette hospitalité est un espace ouvert à une reconnaissance mutuelle de la vulnérabilité présente dans l’altérité.Le soin spirituel met en jeu le courage d’un travail intérieur. Il représente un secours capable de faire basculer la souffrance en clarté même en fin de vie ; il est une invitation au repos, à la confiance. Seul le silence peut signifier au patient, la nature de ce souffle qui l’habite et le transcende. Dans son accueil de l’impuissance, la présence silencieuse, comme soin spirituel, révèle la capacité d’éveil de la vie du patient jusqu’au dernier souffle comme un don. / Summary not transmitted. The practice of the spiritual assistance(audience) in a hospital environment consists, according to the legislative texts, in answering the spiritual needs for the patient. But the wait(expectation) which feels(experiences) a patient at the end of life can be reduced neither to a pure need, nor to a pure desire. From an anthropological, philosophic work and from an analysis of the dialogues of support(accompaniment), the notions of hospitality, silence, care, desire and awakening light(enlighten) this search(research). The silent presence answers first of all a call(appeal) expressed by the patient. This hospitality is a space open to a mutual gratitude(recognition) of the present vulnerability in the otherness. The spiritual care involves(puts at stake) the courage of an internal work. He(it) represents a help capable of making tip over the suffering in clarity(brightness) at the end of life; it is an invitation in the rest, in the confidence(trust). Only the silence can inform the patient, the nature of this breath which lives in him(it) and transcends him(it). In its welcome(reception) of the powerlessness(impotence), the silent presence, as spiritual care, reveals the capacity of awakening of the life of the patient until the last breath as a gift(donation). [Translation made by the web site Reverso]

The thesis deals with vocalizations produced by Eurasian ground squirrels of the genus Spermophilus. It is mainly focused on inter-species and intra-species variability in acoustic structure of alarm calls which are emitted in presence of predators.The major part of the thesis deals with intra-species variability in acoustic structure of the alarm calls in five Eurasian ground squirrels, Spermophilus citellus, S. taurensis, S. xanthoprymnus, S. suslicus and S. fulvus. It has been confirmed that the alarm calls of these ground squirrels show a high level of species specificity. The thesis further describes another vocalizations produced by three Eurasian ground squirrel species, Spermophilus suslicus, S. citellus and S. fulvus, and shows that with the exception of the alarm calls, vocal repertoires of these three ground squirrels are remarkably similar. The last part of the thesis deals with individual distinctiveness of the alarm calls of three Eurasian ground squirrels, Spermophilus citellus, S. taurensis and S. xanthoprymnus. It has been shown that the alarm calls of these species have a significant potential to encode information about caller identity.