Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have recently o ered signi cant technological achievements. The advancement in related applications predicts an extended need for automated data muling by UAVs, to explore high risk places, ensure e ciency and reduce the cost of various products and services. Due to advances in technology, the actual UAVs are not as expensive as they once were. On the other hand, they are limited in their ight time especially if they have to use fuel. As a result, it has recently been proposed that they could be assisted by the ground static sensors which provide information of their surroundings. Then, the UAVs need only to provide actions depending on information received from the ground sensors. In addition, UAVs need to cooperate among themselves and work together with organised ground sensors to achieve an optimal coverage. The system to handle the cooperation of UAVs, together with the ground sensors, is still an interesting research topic which would bene t both rural and urban areas. In this thesis, an e cient ground sensor network for optimal UAVs coverage is rst proposed. This is done using a clustering scheme wherein, each cluster member transmits its sensor readings to its cluster head. A more e cient routing scheme for delivering readings to cluster head(s) for collection by UAVs is also proposed. Furthermore, airborne sensor deployment models are provided for e cient data collection from a unique sensor/target. The model proposed for this consists of a scheduling technique which manages the visitation of UAVs to target. Lastly, issues relating to the interplay between both types of sensor (airborne and ground/underground) networks are addressed by proposing the optimal UAVs task allocation models; which take caters for both the ground networking and aerial deployment. Existing network and tra c engineering techniques were adopted in order to handle the internetworking of the ground sensors. UAVs deployment is addressed by adopting Operational Research techniques including dynamic assignment and scheduling models. The proposed models were validated by simulations, experiments and in some cases, formal methods used to formalise and prove the correctness of key properties.

This study examines the effect of first-year college student participation in cooperative learning activities on the development of need for cognition, using pre-test and post-test data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education (WNSLAE). I used Pascarella's (1985) General Causal Model for Assessing the Effects of Differential Environments on Student Learning and Cognitive Development as the theoretical foundation for my study. I examined whether cooperative learning (students teaching each other, faculty encouraging students to work together outside of class, participation in study groups, and students working together outside of class) influenced the development of need for cognition among first-year college students while controlling for student background characteristics, institutional characteristics, academic experiences, and other college student experiences. The results of my study indicate that participation in cooperative learning activities positively influenced the development of need for cognition among first-year college students. This study adds to the literature because it is the first to demonstrate the relationship between cooperative learning and need for cognition. The results are relevant to higher education policy because the study provides evidence that cooperative learning helps students develop a propensity to engage in the thinking process, which will likely impact them throughout their lives. Cooperative learning is considered a good practice in liberal education, so the result of this study provides evidence that liberal education supports positive outcomes related to cognitive processing, which is critical to higher education.

The purpose of this study was to determine if parents change in their attitudes toward child guidance after participating in a Cooperative Nursery School Parent Education Program. The study was conducted in the Fall of 1959 in the Weber College Department. Control and experimental groups were used. The experimental group was made up of forty mothers and father who were enrolled in the Parent Education Program and whose children were enrolled in the nursery school. The control group was made up of forty mothers and fathers whose children were on the waiting list of the nursery school. Attitudes were determined by means of parent attitudes scale in the form of a questionnaire. The questionnaires were given to the control and experimental group before and after a thirteen-week Parent Education Program. The experimental group participated in this program which consisted of a ten-week study discussion group under the direction of the investigator, and a thirteen-week experience of actively participating in a cooperative nursery school teacher. Parents were tested in four areas in which they might change as a result of experience in a Cooperative Nursery School Program. These were (a) dependency, (b) child aggression toward parents, (c) child aggression toward other children and (d) relationships with other children. The results of the study show statistically significant changes in all four areas in the attitudes of the experimental group mothers toward more permissive guidance, while the control group had essentially the same attitudes at the conclusion of the study as they had at the beginning. Fathers and mothers differed in their attitudes toward child guidance in that fathers favored punitive control while the mothers were more permissive.

No description available.

The improvement of water quality in the streams of the Glenelg Hopkins catchment is a priority of the Glenelg Hopkins regional strategy. A major source of water pollution in the region is linked to agricultural activities as high nutrient levels from runoff have the potential to increase the incidence of blue-green algae in the waterways. Land use change, reduced rainfall, more frequent extreme rainfall events and higher temperatures associated with climate change are likely to exacerbate this trend. Water testing data of the Total Phosphorus (TP) levels in the Hopkins River and at other sites within the Hopkins Catchment indicate increasing incidence of TP above the Environment Protection Authority's target levels for extended periods of each year. Earlier research indicated that phosphorus in runoff increases when pasture fertility increases and that fertiliser management practices should be considered as an element of preventative action for reducing nutrient pollution. During our research, a survey was undertaken in the Hopkins River catchment, to determine the current management of phosphorus (P) fertilisers on grazing and mixed enterprise farms, the attitude of farmers to natural resource management and their understanding of nutrient pollution. The survey also gathered information on the way farmers made fertiliser management decisions. If cooperation relating to phosphorus fertiliser application could be facilitated between groups of farmers, it may be possible to reduce nutrient runoff into the Hopkins waterways. Cooperative game theory has successfully been used worldwide in the resolution of environmental problems where there is an economic impact to the decision making process. In this project, the amount of phosphorus applied per hectare was used in a cooperative game theory model assessing the potential for cooperative action on phosphorus management by groups of farmers, based on the trade off between the economic cost of pollution to the region waterways and the economic production benefits to the individual. The outcome of this work was individual optimal strategies for fertiliser application, allowing individual farmers to reduce their impact of agricultural production on the health of the catchment. Involving the farmer groups, while undertaking the project, raised awareness amongst the farming population of the regional nutrient pollution caused by runoff from agricultural land, and enlisted their assistance towards adopting a cooperative approach to the problem. In addition, the results have been mapped using a Geographical Information System (GIS) for visual presentation and to demonstrate the use of this process in natural resource management with the farmer groups.

From an organisational perspective, the potential benefits of enhancing workplace cohesion are many, amongst which an increase in employee performance would be the most tangible and possibly the most desirable. The primary aim of the present research was to explore the capacity to increase levels of cohesion, and therefore facilitate team building, through the use of cooperative multiplayer computer gaming (CMCG). Study 1, involving 26 male and 23 female university students, required participants to play two, twenty minute, games of the commercially available computer game QUAKE(tm) as teams of 3 or of 4, against an equal number of computer generated artificial intelligence opposition. The interpersonal attraction and task focus facets of Cohesion, as well as Stress and Mood State, were measured using self-report questionnaires at both the pre- and post-test stages of the experiment. Results supported the prediction that exposing individuals to a computer game of a cooperative and interdependent nature would increase self-rated levels of cohesion, on both the interpersonal attraction and task focus sub-scales. Study 2 aimed to expand upon the findings of study 1, increasing the generalisability of the study 1 findings by surveying existing teams engaging in CMCG via the Internet. Those surveyed were individuals who currently played the Team Fortress module of QUAKE�, and who belonged to a Team Fortress Clan - the CMCG equivalent of a social sporting team. Individuals playing QUAKE(tm) via the Internet were found to be as cohesed with their team members as were the laboratory participants after the CMCG intervention. Further, important group dynamic factors evident in Team Fortress Clans, such as success being linked with higher levels of cohesion, were consistent with literary considerations regarding conventional, non-CMCG teams. Additional research exploration is required regarding the utility of CMCG, however, the present research indicates that such an exploration is warranted and should produce positive and practical results.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- McMaster University, 2007. / Supervisor: Sigal Balshine Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (B.A.)--Haverford College, Dept. of Anthropology, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

<p>Att samverka mellan olika organisationer i ett rehabiliteringsarbete är inte alltid så enkelt. Stora skillnader finns i både uppdrag, arbetssätt och kompetenser. Den här undersökningen har sitt ursprung i att jag under mina tillämpade studier på arbetsförmedlingen kom till insikt om att problem inom samverkan med andra aktörer uppenbarligen existerade. För att ytterligare problematisera frågan involverade jag såväl handläggare från försäkringskassan, arbetsförmedlingen, samt några primärvårdsläkare i x kommun.. Jag begränsade mig till dessa aktörer eftersom de ofta samverkade. Mitt syfte var att genom en kvalitativ metod, via personliga intervjuer, bringa kunskap om respondenternas egna upplevelser av samverkansarbetet. Resultatet visar på att det finns tydliga fördelar med samverkan, men visade även på stora problem. Inte minst läkaren och försäkringsläkarens väl separerade roller är med dagens regelverk ett stort hot mot den enskilde individens rättssäkerhet och mot en kvalitetssäkrad handläggning. Förändringar av hela eller delar av regelsystemet är några av de önskvärda målen.</p>

<p>Traditional education system on campus has been using as a legacy over decades to support educational learning. The major change over time has been made by the use of technology supporting students in the academic community. As the majority of students in higher education today belong to the digital-age-student generation, they frequently use online technology to interact with instructors, other learners, and to access online materials. In this study, the result is primarily presented from campus students’ perceptions, to gain a deeper understanding of how social media is being used to support educational and collaborative/cooperative learning. Although, almost all the respondents are frequent social media users, only a quarter of them use such media regularly for academic purposes. Through use of social media in academia, students have encountered with benefits─ as convenience, possibility of interaction anywhere/anytime, time-saving, low price and many others─ in addition to facing to limitations─ such as less effective or spontaneous contact, connection problems, lack of platform compatibility, less creative and innovative thinking, and other issues─ which have been discussed in this study.</p><p>This thesis adopted a qualitative research and the characterization of knowledge that is used is exploratory research method with the use of interview as a tool for empirical data collection. Twenty interviews have been conducted with Uppsala University higher education students within random subject disciplines. Among many different social media, the most frequent ones used by majority of students are e-mail, a common asynchronous media to interact with instructors and other learners; and Instant Messaging (IM), a synchronous communication way to interact with co-workers, classmates, or group-mates. Furthermore, learners use social media to coordinate their collaborative/cooperative work, share documents and ask questions. Facebook, Wikipedia, YouTube and other popular social media are also sometimes used for educational purposes.</p><p>The findings indicate that social media seems particularly beneficial for supporting educational learning; though there are some negative aspect and limitations. Learners look at using the technology and social media as a complement to support their studies and collaboration/cooperation. However, not many of them consider using such media as a substitute for face-to-face interactions and the traditional campus education. By drawing on this thesis and the previous studies, proposition on how use of social media supports educational learning in the future has been emerged.</p>