Multilayered metallo-dielectric nanoparticles are increasingly considered in various applications to control the spatial and temporal behavior of electromagnetic fields. In particular, the surface mode excitation by photons or electrons in metal nanorings finds significant applications because of the implied field distribution and electromagnetic energy confinement. However, most solid nanorings that are multilayered and/or embedded in a medium have non-simply connected geometry resulting in surface modes which are not linearly independent. That is, unlike particle plasmon eigenmodes in other geometries, the amplitudes of the eigenmodes of tori exhibit a distinct forward and backward coupling. We investigate the surface modes of such toroidal nano-structures and obtain the canonical plasmon dispersion relations and resonance modes for arbitrarily layered nanorings. When seeking the nonretarded surface modes for a stratified solid torus, we obtain a three-term difference equation which plays an important role in obtaining the needed dispersion relations. The obtained dispersion relations are investigated in depth in terms of the involved matrix continued fractions and their convergence properties including their determinant forms for computing the plasmon eigenmodes. The numerical solutions of the dispersion relations in case of a solid ring are presented for comparison and the resonance frequencies for the first few dominant modes of a ring composed of plasmon supporting materials such as gold, silver, and aluminum are provided and compared to those for a silicon ring. The mode complementarity and hybridization in multilayered toroidal structures is discussed and different ring configurations are simulated in the quasistatic limit by selecting number of layers modeled by their local dielectric functions. A generalized Green’s function with derivation intricacies addressed for multilayer tori is obtained from which one may calculate and study the scattering behavior of any of the modes that may exist in the many layer system. In particular, the electric potential distribution corresponding to individual poloidal and toroidal modes in response to an arbitrarily polarized external field and the field of electrons is obtained. The results are applied to obtain the local density of states and decay rate of a dipole near the center of the torus. Finally, two new types of toroidal particles in the form of janus nanorings are introduced.

The PhD thesis considers four topics in dynamical systems and is based on one paper and three manuscripts. In Paper I we apply methods of interval analysis in order to compute the rigorous enclosure of rotation number. The described algorithm is supplemented with a method of proving the existence of periodic points which is used to check rationality of the rotation number. In Manuscript II we provide a numerical algorithm for computing critical points of the multiplier map for the quadratic family (i.e., points where the derivative of the multiplier with respect to the complex parameter vanishes). Manuscript III concerns continued fractions of quadratic irrationals. We show that the generating function corresponding to the sequence of denominators of the best rational approximants of a quadratic irrational is a rational function with integer coefficients. As a corollary we can compute the Lévy constant of any quadratic irrational explicitly in terms of its partial quotients. Finally, in Manuscript IV we develop a method for finding rigorous enclosures of all odd periodic solutions of the stationary Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation. The problem is reduced to a bounded, finite-dimensional constraint satisfaction problem whose solution gives the desired information about the original problem. Developed approach allows us to exclude the regions in L2, where no solution can exist.

In this dissertation we study graph directed Markov systems (GDMS) and limit sets associated with these systems. Given a GDMS S, by the Hausdorff dimension spectrum of S we mean the set of all positive real numbers which are the Hausdorff dimension of the limit set generated by a subsystem of S. We say that S has full Hausdorff dimension spectrum (full HD spectrum), if the dimension spectrum is the interval [0, h], where h is the Hausdorff dimension of the limit set of S. We give necessary conditions for a finitely primitive conformal GDMS to have full HD spectrum. A GDMS is said to be regular if the Hausdorff dimension of its limit set is also the zero of the topological pressure function. We show that every number in the Hausdorff dimension spectrum is the Hausdorff dimension of a regular subsystem. In the particular case of a conformal iterated function system we show that the Hausdorff dimension spectrum is compact. We introduce several new systems: the nearest integer GDMS, the Gauss-like continued fraction system, and the Renyi-like continued fraction system. We prove that these systems have full HD spectrum. A special attention is given to the backward continued fraction system that we introduce and we prove that it has full HD spectrum. This system turns out to be a parabolic iterated function system and this makes the analysis more involved. Several examples have been constructed in the past of systems not having full HD spectrum. We give an example of such a system whose limit set has positive Lebesgue measure.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2015-12-11T13:01:41Z No. of bitstreams: 1 anapaulamarquessampaiopereira.pdf: 5024341 bytes, checksum: f9581d572f58a2083ff5687a329455fa (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2015-12-11T15:05:11Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 anapaulamarquessampaiopereira.pdf: 5024341 bytes, checksum: f9581d572f58a2083ff5687a329455fa (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-11T15:05:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 anapaulamarquessampaiopereira.pdf: 5024341 bytes, checksum: f9581d572f58a2083ff5687a329455fa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-10 / A pesquisa “Impressões Digitais: sentidos construídos por docentes no processo de ensino-aprendizagem com e sobre as tecnologias digitais” foi desenvolvida em três escolas públicas municipais de Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, buscando compreender a formação continuada de professores para a utilização das tecnologias digitais em suas salas de aula. Nesse trabalho, ao estudar professores em formação, buscou-se conhecer outros sujeitos, outras consciências e outros mundos, dialogando com eles. A partir do enfoque teórico-metodológico da perspectiva histórico-cultural, essa pesquisa se organizou a partir da seguinte questão: “como se desenvolve em professores participantes do curso Tecnologia da Informação e Comunicação, ministrado em três escolas da rede municipal de Juiz de Fora, o processo ensino-aprendizagem das/com as tecnologias digitais?”. No processo de análise empreendido, foram trabalhados três Eixos de Significação. No primeiro deles, “As tecnologias digitais: reflexões sobre seu uso em sala de aula” foram analisados os aspectos mais voltados para a organização e funcionamento do curso, observando os recursos para a aprendizagem com/sobre as tecnologias digitais e a exploração do software livre. No segundo, “Sentidos construídos pelos docentes sobre o processo de ensino-aprendizagem”, desenvolveu-se uma reflexão mais intensa sobre o processo de ensino-aprendizagem no curso “Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação na Educação”. Observou-se a utilização pedagógica e os usos pessoais das tecnologias digitais pelos professores e cursistas. No terceiro Eixo de Significação “Alteridade e Subjetividade no coletivo: a transformação dos cursos em grupos de estudo/trabalho” discutiu-se as peculiaridades do curso “Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação na Educação” em relação aos grupos de cursistas constituídos nas três escolas pesquisadas. O movimento dialógico, a cumplicidade, a solidariedade e o compartilhamento mútuo de experiências, levantaram indagações sobre os diferenciais desse curso em relação aos que costumeiramente são encontrados na literatura, em pesquisas sobre o tema, e em nosso cotidiano. Ao final, foram retomados os fundamentos teórico-metodológicos, discutindo-se sobre o trabalho investigativo junto a professores em formação continuada com as tecnologias digitais e os sentidos construídos durante o percurso dessa pesquisa. A formação de professores entre pares, articulada ao potencial das tecnologias digitais, foi a grande contribuição dessa Tese à pesquisa em Ciências Humanas. / The research named "Fingerprints: meanings built by instructors in the process of teaching and learning with digital technologies" was developed in three public city schools from Juiz de Fora, state of Minas Gerais, as trying to understand the continuing formation of teachers towards the use of digital technologies in their classrooms. In this work, when studying training teachers, an attempt was made to know and understand other subjects, other consciences and other worlds, by dialoguing with them. From the theoretical and methodological approach to the cultural-historical perspective, the research was organized from the following question: "how does the teaching-learning process of digital technologies develop in teachers belonging to the Information Technology course in three public city schools in Juiz de Fora?" In the undertaking analysis process, three meaning core were addressed. In the first one, "The digital toolkit: reflections on its use in the classroom", the aspects regarding the organization and workings of the course were analysed, noting the resources for learning with and about the digital technologies and the utilization of open-source/free software. In the second, "Meanings created by the instructors about the teaching-learning process", a more intense reflection was done about the teching-learning process on the course "Information Technology (IT) and Communication in Education". The pedagogic and personal uses for digital technologies by teachers and students alike was observed. In the third meaning core, "Otherness and Individuality in the Collective: the transformation of courses in study and work groups" the peculiarities of the course "Information Technology (IT) and Communication in Education" in regard to the groups of students formed in the three schools of the study was observed. The dialoguing movement, the cumplicity, the solidarity and the mutual sharing of experiences raised questions about the differentials from this course to the ones which are usually found in the literature, in researches about this subject, and in our daily lives. In the end, the research's theorical and methodological fundamentals were resumed by discussing up on the investigative work with teachers in training and the meanings constructed during the course of this research. Teacher training peer, articulated the potential of digital technologies, was the great contribution of this thesis to research in Humanities.

Various assessments and international studies have shown that learners in South African schools experience challenges and perform poorly with respect to literacy and numeracy. To become competitive in the global arena, there is an urgent need to raise the standards of education. Language is required for all learning, including numeracy and mathematics. Many young learners in South Africa struggle to develop adequate language skills because of an inherent pathology and/or barriers in their learning environment. Learners who do not develop adequate listening and language skills during their early years are most likely to experience difficulty in acquiring literacy and numeracy skills, resulting in poor academic progress. By supporting learners to overcome their developmental delays as early as in the foundation phase, future learning problems may be prevented. To raise education standards, teachers need to heighten their attempts to facilitate literacy and numeracy in the foundation phase. Teachers currently have to adapt to a new national curriculum statement (NCS) that is based on an outcomes-based education (OBE) approach (Department of Education, 1997:16). Many teachers, especially those in black townships and other previously disadvantaged areas, find this difficult as they have not been sufficiently trained or are not adequately qualified. Educational changes have necessitated the need for high quality staff development and support. Speech-language therapists (SLTs) working within a collaborative approach in the education context can support the learners who need to acquire listening and language skills, as well as the teachers who have to facilitate these skills. This study developed a support programme for foundation phase teachers to facilitate listening and language for numeracy. The multifaceted programme consisted of training, mentoring, and practical components, which aimed at developing the participants’ competence (foundational, practical, and reflective competence). The programme integrated the principles of adult learning within an OBE approach while taking culture and diversity into consideration. The programme was evaluated within a Logic Model framework. The research made use of a concurrent, equal status triangulation design where triangulation was obtained by transforming QUAL data into QUAN data to be compared. In the QUAN strand, data were collected from 96 teacher participants (who were selected by using a convenience sampling method) by means of questionnaires, portfolio assignments, attendance registers, and financial statements. Qualitative data were collected from eight focus group discussions (using a nested design with 12 participants at a time) as well as a research diary, testimonials, and various correspondences. The findings indicated that all the participants have gained knowledge, skills, and confidence, but to varying degrees. Factors that affected the outcomes included aspects related to time, the choice of venue, age, prior support and qualifications, as well as motivation related to the context. Group learning was identified as a suitable strategy for teacher support in these contexts. Provided that specific factors are considered to increase effectiveness, the outcomes indicated that the programme could be used to support foundation phase teachers in these specific contexts. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted

Orientador: André Christovão Pio Martins / Banca: Newton Geraldo Bretas / Banca: Andre Nunes de Souza / Resumo: Neste trabalho foi feita uma análise comparativa entre diferentes escolhas dos pontos utilizados pelo método look ahead na estimação do ponto de máximo carregamento de um sistema elétrico de potência. O Fluxo de Cargo Continuado é utilizado na geração dos pontos de operação utilizados pelo método look ahead e para servir como referência na comparação entre os resultados previstos e o ponto de máximo carregamento real. Uma vez que a exatidão dessa estimativa é fortemente afetada pela escolha desses pontos, o FCC é modificado para fornecer pontos mais adequados para o bom funcionamento do método look ahead. A metodologia proposta é aplicada ao sistema IEEE de 300 barras, os resultados obtidos mostram o seu bom funcionamento / Abstract: Here we did a comparative analysis between different choices of the points used by the look ahead method for estimating maximum loading point of a power system. The Continued Power Flow (CPF) is used in the generation of operating points used by the look ahead method and to serve as a reference in comparison between the predicted results and the real maximum loading point. Since the accurancy of this estimative is strongly affected by choicen of these points, the CPF is modified to provide the most appropriate for the proper functioning of the method look ahead. The proposed methodology system is applied to IEEE 300 buses, the results have shown its good functioning / Mestre

The society that we are living in has a responsibility to make sure that no children suffer from violence or any type of neglect. All authorities in society, as well as the social services and decision-making agencies have an obligation to protect and prioritize the best interests of the child in all types of decisions concerning children. In cases where children are at a tangible risk of harm due to circumstances at home, children can be involuntarily removed from their parents by law. In such circumstances, the child's parents do not consent to the child being taken care of according to law based on voluntariness. This requires a court care order according to LVU. In recent years, the public debate in Sweden has increased regarding when it is safe for a child who has been removed from its parents to move back home. Due to this societal debate, this study aims to define which factors affect as well as being most significant in the court's decision-making regarding when it is appropriate or not for a child to either stay in the foster family or to reunite with its parents. Furthermore, the study also aims to provide a deeper understanding on how the court considers on one hand the best interest of the child and on the other hand the parental perspective in their basis of verdict. The conflict of interest stands between whether the care of the child should cease or continue. The purpose of this study has been enabled through a qualitative review of 12 court decision orders which have been made between the years 2021-2022. The result shows that all 12 court orders decide that the compulsory care of the children should continue. The main reason in the courts basis for decision is that the circumstances that caused the care has not yet improved enough. In the review of the court decisions several significant themes occurred. One of the most significant themes were lack of lasting change among the parents. Moreover, another major theme was that the parents could not show insight in the situation. Lastly, the parents had a lack of ability to meet the children's needs, which in some cases were extensive. The result shows that the court considers the best interest of the child before the parental perspective. This appears while the court highlights each individual child and its needs. Meanwhile, the court also listens to the children who are old enough to express their feelings and opinions to a relatively large extent. Nevertheless, the court also shows understanding for the parents' will and desire to bring back their children. The court emphasizes what further needs to be achieved for the parents to reach a cessation of the compulsory care of their children.

This thesis aims to study a connection between indecomposable elements in the cubic fields and the Jacobi-Perron algorithm (JPA). JPA is a multidimensional generalization of the usual continued fractions algorithm. We work in the family of Ennola's cubic fields and we examine how the indecomposable elements are related to elements originating from this algorithm and whether some of these elements generate all indecomposable elements in the fields. We formulate conjectures on how to determine which elements will generate the indecomposable elements. We also prove some necessary conditions that have to hold for elements originating from this algorithm to generate indecomposable elements. 1

For over two decades, research has shown that providing instructions and feedback to promote an external focus (i.e., mentally focusing on movement effects or outcome) leads to enhanced motor performance and learning, compared to an internal focus (i.e., mentally focusing on the muscles and joints, or movement kinematics). Notably, while a majority of the research has been on healthy young adults, the external focus benefit has also been found to extend to individuals recovering from musculoskeletal dysfunction. Despite the potential benefit of an external focus for rehabilitation, observational studies have revealed that physiotherapists provide their clients with more internal, than external, focus statements and have little awareness of the focus of attention literature. Consequently, the end goal of this doctoral research was to translate the focus of attention research findings into Canadian physiotherapy practice through the design, delivery and assessment of an educational workshop for practicing physiotherapists. With this in mind, the first step became to determine whether such a workshop was warranted by assessing the self-reported focus of attention provision by Canadian physiotherapists. Thus, in Study 1 a study-specific questionnaire, titled the "Therapists' Perceptions of Motor Learning Principles Questionnaire" (TPMLPQ), was designed and completed by 121 Canadian physiotherapists. Results showed an overall low relative frequency of self-reported external focus promotion (M = 31.3%, SD = 14.9), across six hypothetical rehabilitation scenarios. Markedly, descriptions of a functional reaching (M = 55.5 %, SD = 37.0) and pelvic floor task (M = 65.6%, SD = 32.9) resulted in a greater self-reported promotion of external, than internal, focus of attention. These results suggested that Canadian physiotherapists could benefit from an educational workshop on focus of attention, and that there was a potential task dependency for their focus of attention promotion. Study 2 employed virtual one-on-one interviews with eight Southern Ontario-based physiotherapists, all whom completed the TPMLPQ just prior to the interview. The first few questions gathered participants' perceptions on factors that influence physiotherapists' focus of attention use, as well as barriers to promoting an external focus and potential solutions to them. Coding of the interview data generated four themes related to factors that influenced focus of attention use: (1) physiotherapist experiences and characteristics, (2) client experiences and characteristics, (3) task characteristics and (4) focus of attention statement provision strategies. Moreover, the barriers to external focus promotion were organized into three themes: (1) educational experiences, (2) reinforcement of internal focus encouragement once in practice and (3) research aspects. All interviewed physiotherapists proposed continuing education on focus of attention as a solution to these barriers. Questions in the second half of the interview garnered input on how to get physiotherapists to attend a focus of attention workshop, and what activities to include before, during or after the workshop to promote physiotherapists to use more externally focusing statements in their practice. This information was used to inform the workshop design and delivery. In addition to the physiotherapists' input, I also considered previous research that has emphasized the importance of evidence-based training programs to be based on theoretical frameworks. In this regard, Bandura's social cognitive theory was selected as a theoretical foundation. Further, knowing that the target population for the workshop consisted of adults with higher education, Knowles' adult learning theory was also selected as a complimentary theoretical foundation. Additionally, the Kirkpatrick model for training evaluation was selected to guide the assessment of the workshop, due to its strong overlap with constructs from both theoretical frameworks adopted. A final contribution to the workshop design process was holding a virtual group session with four focus of attention researchers in order to gain input on workshop content. The final workshop product consisted of two parts: seven self-directed asynchronous website modules and a synchronous virtual group session. Ultimately, in Study 3, the workshop was delivered to fifteen Canadian physiotherapists. In addition to completing the two workshop components (asynchronous and synchronous), participants completed assessment packages at three time points: (1) one-week pre-synchronous workshop, (2) immediately post-synchronous workshop, and (3) one-week post-synchronous workshop. Analysis of the data revealed a chain of evidence supporting the merits of the workshop. Explicitly, physiotherapists reported high satisfaction (Mdn = 4.60), perceived relevance (Mdn = 4.83), and engagement in the workshop (Mdn = 4.83). Comparing one-week pre- to immediately post-workshop, analyses revealed significant improvements to physiotherapists' (1) scores on the knowledge assessment (pre M = 51.30%, SD = 22.30; post M = 84.30%, SD = 11.50; p < .001, d = 2.06) with an accompanying decrease in the uncertainty in their responses (pre M = 23.19%, SD = 18.05; post M = 1.16%, SD = 1.99; p < .001, d = 1.28), (2) relative frequency of externally focusing to total focus of attention statements created on the skill assessment (pre M = 18.23%, SD = 13.17; post M = 67.95%, SD = 25.13; p < .001, d = 2.11), (3) self-reported attitudes towards learning and practice of external focus promotion (pre M = 88.25, SD = 11.00; post M = 92.83, SD = 6.59; p = .024, d = 0.56) and self-efficacy (pre M = 59.50, SD = 22.36; post M = 85.72, SD = 7.95, p < .001, r = 0.86). Using descriptive statistics, physiotherapists reported that participating in the workshop allowed them to increase their encouragement of external focus adoption (M = 79.00, SD = 15.14). Thirteen of the physiotherapists reported that they believed that their use of externally focusing statements led to improvements in their clients' rehabilitation outcomes (n = 13; M = 68.08, SD = 22.13), while the other two physiotherapists noticed no difference. Finally, those 13 physiotherapists also reported a high intention to continue to provide external focus statements in their practice (M = 87.31, SD = 15.09). In the context of social cognitive theory, these findings suggest that the workshop was successful in strengthening the physiotherapists' behavioral capabilities, self-efficacy, and outcome expectations, suggesting that the behavior change self-reported by the physiotherapists (i.e., more external focus promotion) could extend beyond the short-term assessment period used here. The whole of this doctoral research acts as a powerful step on the pathway to translate focus of attention research into Canadian physiotherapy, and also provides a useful framework for future studies aiming to translate motor learning research into the field - in Canada or globally.

No description available.