Bakgrund: Hundterapi är ett relativt outforskat område, i dagsläget finns det en begränsad mängd med evidensbaserad forskning rörande vårdhundens effekter. Vårdhunden har många olika användningsområden inom sjukvården. Sjukdomar som demens och psykisk ohälsa är vida utbrett i världen och det syns en ökning av personer som drabbas av demens vilket kan kopplas till en ökad medellivslängd. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteraturstudie var att beskriva vårdhundens effekter på välbefinnandet hos personer med kognitiv nedsättning samt att som metodologisk aspekt beskriva på vilket sätt hunden använts som oberoende variabel i studiernas interventioner. Metod: En deskriptiv litteraturstudie där tio kvantitativa experimentella studier har granskats och sammanställts. Huvudresultat: Sammanställningen av studierna gav tre olika utfall, förbättrad effekt, försämrad effekt samt oförändrat utfall. Flera av studierna visade på att vårdhunden hade minskat deltagarnas depressiva symtom och deras nedstämdhet. Samtidigt syntes en ökad emotionell stabilitet samt en minskad ångest och aggressivitet hos deltagarna. De ingående studierna visade även en försämrad effekt av välbefinnandet och en ökning av dementa symptom vilket yttrade sig genom att deltagarna blev mindre adekvata och mer verbalt aggressiva, huruvida denna effekt berodde på vårdhunden framkom inte. Utifrån den metodologiska frågeställningen framkom det ur studierna att deltagarna fått klappa, leka, utfodra, promenera samt fått välja själva hur de spendera tiden med hunden. Slutsatser: Ur litteraturstudien framkom det förbättrade effekter på välbefinnandet hos deltagarna med kognitiva nedsättningar efter hundterapin, vilket framhåller hundens hälsofrämjande egenskaper. Vidare saknade stora delar av de ingående studierna statistisk signifikans och blev därför inte tillförlitliga. Det behövs därför mer evidensbaserad forskning för att kunna fastställa vårdhundens effekter inom området. / Background: Dog therapy is an unexplored area within the field of nursing, to date there´s a lack of evidence based research regarding the therapeutic effects of the dog in health-care. The therapy dog has a variety of areas in the healthcare which it can be used. Dementia and mental illness is a widely spread over the world and there is an increase in people diagnosed with the disorder, it´s thought to be related to increased average life expectancy. Aim: The aim of this literature-review was to describe the effects of the therapy dog on the wellbeing on patients with cognitive dysfunctions and as methodological aspect describe in which way the dog has been used as an independent variable in the interventions of the studies. Method: A descriptive literature-review where ten quantitative experimental studies has been reviewed and complied. Main result: The result of the included studies were summarized under three different outcomes, improved effect, degraded effect and unchanged effect. Several of the studies showed a decrease in the participant’s depressive symptoms, it was thought to be due to the effects of the dog. The participants showed an increased emotional stability and a reduced grade of anxiety as well as decreased aggressive behavior. The outcome of the included studies also showed a decreased tendency in the participant’s self-experience quality of life and an increased frequency of dementia symptoms, which were revealed as les adequateness and more verbally aggressive. Based on the methodological question the studies showed that the activities the participants did during the intervention were; pet the dog, play with the dog, feed it, take walks with the dog and they could choose individually what they wanted to do. Conclusion: The literature- review revealed that the therapy dog had a improved impact on the participants wellbeing after the intervention, compared to before the intervention. This emphasizes the dog´s health-promoting characteristics. Furthermore, the outcome of the literature- review shows that the result from the included studies lack statistical significance, therefore these results were not counted as reliable. The present review underlines the need for further evidence- based research regarding the health-promoting effects of the therapy dog.

Introductory programming courses compose the core of several undergraduate degree programs, since programming is a crucial technical skill for professionals in many STEM areas. Aiming to address students learning difficulties in these courses, instructors can adopt different teaching approaches, since there are several varying aspects in programming education (e.g. programming languages and paradigms, development practices, platforms, supporting tools etc). In particular, the teaching approach that consists of integrating software testing into this context has been prominent in the area, since it may lead students to think more critically while working on programming assignments. Even so, this teaching approach can also present significant challenges, such as the students reluctance to conduct testing practices. In this sense, experimental studies have the role to provide evidence about learning outcomes, considering different teaching approaches and contexts. However, studies in the area of programming education often present a lack of theoretical basis, i.e. are not built upon established theories, models and frameworks. In other words, the varying aspects (or variables) used to investigate teaching approaches are not properly characterized in the studies, what leads to difficulties to interpret the obtained results and build knowledge in the area. As a consequence, instructors are prevented from having reliable evidence to make informed choices of teaching approaches used in the classroom. Considering this scenario, we propose in this PhD thesis the use of domain-specific models to support researchers in scoping and designing experiments on programming education. More specifically, we explored the domain of the software testing integration teaching approach, by creating a framework for experimental studies on the integration of software testing into programming education. The framework provides a basic structure of experimental studies in this domain, composed by models of variables related to this teaching approach. We also conducted experiments on the same domain and demonstrated their instantiation into the framework. We intend to support researchers and instructors in the scoping and planning of experimental studies in the educational scenario, specially those aimed at evaluating the integration of software testing into programming courses. / Disciplinas introdutórias de programação compõem o núcleo de diversos cursos de graduação, visto que se trata de uma habilidade crucial para profissionais em muitas áreas de ciências exatas. Buscando lidar com as dificuldades de aprendizagem dos alunos nessas disciplinas, os professores podem adotar diferentes abordagens de ensino, uma vez que há muitas variantes no ensino de programação (como linguagens e paradigmas de programação, práticas de desenvolvimento, plataformas, ferramentas de apoio, etc). Em particular, a abordagem de ensino que consiste em integrar teste de software nesse contexto tem se destacado na área, pois pode levar os alunos a pensarem de modo mais crítico enquanto resolvem atividades práticas de programação. Mesmo assim, essa abordagem de ensino também pode apresentar desafios significativos, como a resistência dos alunos para conduzir práticas de teste. Nesse sentido, estudos experimentais têm o papel de fornecer evidência acerca de resultados em termos de aprendizagem, considerando diferentes abordagens de ensino e contextos. Porém, estudos na área de ensino de programação muitas vezes apresentam falta de fundamentação teórica, ou seja, não são construídos a partir de teorias, modelos e frameworks estabelecidos na área. Isso significa que os aspectos (ou variáveis) utilizados para investigar as abordagens de ensino não são adequadamente caracterizados nos estudos, o que leva a dificuldades em interpretar os resultados obtidos e construir conhecimento na área. Como consequência, os professores são impedidos de ter evidências confiáveis para fazer escolhas informadas nas abordagens de ensino utilizadas em sala de aula. Considerando esse cenário, este trabalho de doutorado propõe o uso de modelos de domínio para apoiar pesquisadores ao definir e projetar experimentos no ensino de programação. Mais especificamente, o domínio da abordagem de integração de teste de software foi explorado neste trabalho, com a criação de um framework para estudos experimentais sobre a integração de teste de software no ensino de programação. O framework provê uma estrutura básica de estudos experimentais nesse domínio, sendo composto por modelos de variáveis relacionadas a essa abordagem de ensino. Neste trabalho também foram conduzidos experimentos de acordo com a estrutura do framework. A meta deste trabalho é apoiar pesquisadores e professores ao definir e planejar estudos no cenário educacional, em especial os focados em avaliar a integração de teste de software em disciplinas de programação.

In this thesis, the experimental test facilities consisted of a well instrumented live Ford 2.0 litre turbocharged diesel engine connected to a specially made exhaust can, which contained a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC). Experiments were performed on DOCs, which were specially prepared by Johnson Matthey, and had thermocouples mounted in their walls to measure axial temperature profiles. These DOCs consisted of a Pt catalyst dispersed in an alumina washcoat on a cordierite monolith supports, and were representative of a commercial application. Experiments were performed on Full-scale DOCs (o.d. = 106 mm, length = 114 mm), and also on Thin-slice DOCs (length = 5 and 10 mm), which generate some interesting data, and enabled a technique that is normally only used in laboratory bench-top experiments to be applied to a live engine. A number of different methodologies were developed based on (a) the operation of the engine at pseudo-steady-state operating conditions, and (b) transient experiments (e.g. a pulse of CO was injected into the exhaust gas just before the DOC). For example, it was shown how experiments on a live engine can be used to explore: (a) the hysteresis between light-off and extinction curves, (b) how catalyst temperature rise during warm-up of a DOC, (c) the promotion effect that hydrogen has on the conversion of CO, (d) the extent of competition for active catalytic sites, e.g. between CO, THCs, propane or hydrogen. The main findings are: (a) the hysteresis between light-off and extinction curves are mainly caused by CO inhibition, (b) the promotion effect of hydrogen on CO oxidation is largely attributed to thermal effect, (c) LHHW form rate expression is not adequate for catalytic converter modelling under transient conditions, (d) the competition for active catalytic sites is not apparent at the test conditions performed in this thesis. Moreover, a number of case studies were also used to illustrate how the experimental results/techniques developed in this thesis, may be used to support modelling studies. iii

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-02-14Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:21:38Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 castardeli_e_dr_botfm.pdf: 233121 bytes, checksum: 2fe290e0c192f7cb3cf49167a9c2a189 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O efeito da exposição à fumaça de cigarro (EFC) tem sido extensivamente estudado; entretanto, os efeitos diretos cardíacos da fumaça de cigarro despertam menos atenção. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar as alterações cardíacas estruturais e funcionais causadas pela EFC, em ratos e, analisar a influência do tempo de EFC na remodelação ventricular. Material e método Ratos Wistar adultos foram alocados em dois grupos: controle (C, n=43), subdividido em dois grupos, controle dois meses (C2, n=25), controle seis meses (C6, n=18) e grupo fumante (F, n=47), igualmente, subdivididos em dois grupos, fumante dois meses (F2, n=22) e fumante seis meses (F6, n=25), que foram expostos à fumaça de cigarro, respectivamente por períodos de dois e seis meses. Todos os animais foram pesados e tiveram mensurado na cauda a pressão arterial sistólica (PAS). A função cardíaca foi estudada pelo método ecocardiográfico (in vivo) e pelo método do coração isolado (in vitro) contraindo isovolumetricamente. Resultados Não houve diferença significante no peso do corpo (PC) entre os grupos controle e fumante. Foram observados valores maiores para o átrio esquerdo (AE), com p=0,005, entre os grupos C e o grupo F, para o AE, corrigido pelo peso do corpo (AE/PC), com p=0,001 e índice de massa do ventrículo esquerdo (IMVE), com p=0,048. Foi observada interação estatística significante para o diâmetro diastólico do ventrículo esquerdo (DDVE), corrigido pelo peso do corpo dos animais (DDVE/PC), com diferença (p=0,023) entre o grupo C e o grupo F, também, com diferença (p=0,048) entre o grupo dois meses e o grupo seis meses e valores diferentemente (p=0,010) entre fumantes e o tempo de exposição ao fumo. Para PAS, foi observada diferença significante na análise da PAS caudal nos grupos C2 e C6 (valores menores) em comparação... / The vascular effects of exposure to smoke of cigarettes have been extensively studied; however, the cardiac effects of tobacco smoke deserved less attention. The aim of this study was to determine the cardiac structural and functional alterations caused by cigarette smoke exposure in rats and analyse the influence to time of exposure to smoke of cigarettes in remodeling ventricular. Material and Methods - Adult Wistar rats were allocated into two groups: control (C, n=43), separated into two sub-groups, two months control (C2, n=25), six months control (C6, n=18) and exposed to tobacco smoke (S, n=47), equally, separated in two sub-groups, two months exposed to tobacco smoke (S2, n=22) and six months exposed to tobacco smoke (S6, n=25), repectively per period into two months and six month. All animals were weighed and had the tail cuff systolic arterial pressure (SAP) measured. The cardiac function was studied study by echocardiogram method (in vivo) and by isolated isovolumetrically beating heart method (in vitro). Results - There was no significant difference in body weight (BW) between groups control and exposed to tobacco smoke. Higher values were found for left atrium (LA), with p=0,005, between groups C and grup S, by LA, adjusted for BW, with p=0,001 and left ventricular mass index, with p=0,048. There was statistically significant interaction by left ventricular diastolic diameter (LVDD), adjusted for BW into animals (LVDD/BW), with difference significant (p=0,023) between group C e o group F, also, with difference (p=0,048) between group two months and o grupo six months and, values differently (p=0,010) between smoking and exposure to tobacco load. There was systolic arterial pressure (SAP), to the difference significant the... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Client writing has been used in association with individual therapy for many years, but published research on its effectiveness is sparse. Such research could provide a potential tool for therapists, as well as expand scientific knowledge. This review includes all available reports on the topic of client writing in individual therapy. The studies fall into three general categories: the systematic, "experimental" studies; the anecdotal reports; and the didactic reports. All studies considered show some benefit from the use of client writing in therapy. Writing appears to be beneficial whether initiated by the client or directed by the therapist; beneficial to adolescents and adults of all ages; beneficial to hospitalized patients, clients in individual therapy, and to students in school counseling; beneficial with different forms of writing; beneficial with different types of therapy; and beneficial whether writing is the main focus of therapy or only an adjunctive process. However, the conclusion that client writing is beneficial is largely based on anecdotal reports from therapists who have accidentally stumbled on it. Much more systematic research is needed, beginning with a survey to determine how extensive is its use. Specific recommendations for research are made.

Thesis (Ph.D. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

There are few instructional tasks more important than teaching children to read. The consequences of low achievement in reading are costly both to individuals and society. Low achievement in literacy correlates with high rates of school drop-out, poverty, and underemployment. The far-reaching effects of literacy achievement have heightened the interest of educators and non-educators alike in the teaching of reading. Successful efforts to improve reading achievement emphasise identification and implementation of evidence-based practices that promote high rates of achievement when used in classrooms by teachers with diverse instructional styles with children who have diverse instructional needs and interests. Being able to recognise what characterises rigorous evidence-based reading instruction is essential to choosing the right reading curriculum (i.e., what method or approach). It will be necessary to ensure that general classroom reading instruction is of universally high quality and that practitioners are prepared to effectively implement validated reading interventions. When educators are not familiar with research methodologies and findings, national and provincial departments of education may find themselves implementing fads or incomplete findings. The choice of method of instruction is very often based on empirical research studies. The selection of statistical procedures is an integral part of the research process. Statistical significance testing is a prominent feature of data analysis in language learning studies and also specifically, reading instruction studies. For many years, methodologists have debated what statistical significance testing means and how it should be used in the interpretation of substantive results. Researchers have long placed a premium on the use of statistical significance testing. However, criticisms of the statistical significance testing procedure are prevalent and occur across many scientific disciplines. Critics of statistical significance tests have made several suggestions, with the underlying theme being for researchers to examine and interpret their data carefully and thoroughly, rather than relying solely upon p values in determining which results are important enough to examine further and report in journals. Specific suggestions include the use of effect sizes, confidence intervals, and power. The purpose of this study was to: determine what the state of affairs is with regard to statistical significance testing in reading instruction research, with specific reference to post-1999 literature (post-I999 literature was selected because of the specific request, made by Wilkinson and the Task Force on Statistical Inference in 1999, to include the reporting of effect sizes in empirical research studies); determine what the criticisms as well as the defences are that have been offered for statistical significance testing; determine what the alternatives or supplements are to statistical significance testing in reading instruction research; To provide a framework for the most effective and appropriate selection, use and representation of statistical significance testing in the reading instruction research field. A comprehensive survey on the use of statistical significance testing, as manifested in randomly selected journals, was undertaken. Six journals (i.e., System, Language Learning and Technology, The Reading Matrix, Scientific Studies of Reading, Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (TESL-EJ); South African Journal for Language Teaching) regularly including articles related to reading instruction research and publishing articles reporting statistical analyses, were reviewed and analysed. All articles in these journals from 2000-2005, employing statistical analyses were reviewed and analysed. The data was analysed by means of descriptive statistics (i.e., frequency counts and percentages). Qualitative reporting was also utilized. A review of six readily accessible (online) journals publishing research on reading instruction indicated that researchers/authors rely very heavily on statistical significance testing and very seldom, if ever, report effect size/effect magnitude or confidence interval measures when documenting their results. A review of the literature indicates that null hypothesis significance testing has been and is a controversial method of extracting information from experimental data and of guiding the formation of scientific conclusions. Several alternatives or complements to null hypothesis significance testing, namely effect sizes, confidence intervals and power analysis have been suggested. The following central theoretical statement was formulated for this study: Statistical significance tests should be supplemented with accurate reports of effect size, power analyses and confidence intervals in reading research studies. In addition, quantitative studies, utilising statistics as stated in the previous sentence, should be supplemented with qualitative studies in order to obtain a more comprehensive picture of reading instruction research. Research indicates that no single study ever establishes a programme or practice as effective; moreover it is the convergence of evidence from a variety of study designs that is ultimately scientifically convincing. When evaluating studies and claims of evidence, educators must not determine whether the study is quantitative or qualitative in nature, but rather if the study meets the standards of scientific research. The proposed framework presented in this study consists of three main parts, namely, part one focuses on the study's description of the intervention and the random assignment process, part two focuses on the study's collection of data and part three focuses on the study's reporting of results, specifically the statistical reporting of the results. / Thesis (Ph.D. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

There are few instructional tasks more important than teaching children to read. The consequences of low achievement in reading are costly both to individuals and society. Low achievement in literacy correlates with high rates of school drop-out, poverty, and underemployment. The far-reaching effects of literacy achievement have heightened the interest of educators and non-educators alike in the teaching of reading. Successful efforts to improve reading achievement emphasise identification and implementation of evidence-based practices that promote high rates of achievement when used in classrooms by teachers with diverse instructional styles with children who have diverse instructional needs and interests. Being able to recognise what characterises rigorous evidence-based reading instruction is essential to choosing the right reading curriculum (i.e., what method or approach). It will be necessary to ensure that general classroom reading instruction is of universally high quality and that practitioners are prepared to effectively implement validated reading interventions. When educators are not familiar with research methodologies and findings, national and provincial departments of education may find themselves implementing fads or incomplete findings. The choice of method of instruction is very often based on empirical research studies. The selection of statistical procedures is an integral part of the research process. Statistical significance testing is a prominent feature of data analysis in language learning studies and also specifically, reading instruction studies. For many years, methodologists have debated what statistical significance testing means and how it should be used in the interpretation of substantive results. Researchers have long placed a premium on the use of statistical significance testing. However, criticisms of the statistical significance testing procedure are prevalent and occur across many scientific disciplines. Critics of statistical significance tests have made several suggestions, with the underlying theme being for researchers to examine and interpret their data carefully and thoroughly, rather than relying solely upon p values in determining which results are important enough to examine further and report in journals. Specific suggestions include the use of effect sizes, confidence intervals, and power. The purpose of this study was to: determine what the state of affairs is with regard to statistical significance testing in reading instruction research, with specific reference to post-1999 literature (post-I999 literature was selected because of the specific request, made by Wilkinson and the Task Force on Statistical Inference in 1999, to include the reporting of effect sizes in empirical research studies); determine what the criticisms as well as the defences are that have been offered for statistical significance testing; determine what the alternatives or supplements are to statistical significance testing in reading instruction research; To provide a framework for the most effective and appropriate selection, use and representation of statistical significance testing in the reading instruction research field. A comprehensive survey on the use of statistical significance testing, as manifested in randomly selected journals, was undertaken. Six journals (i.e., System, Language Learning and Technology, The Reading Matrix, Scientific Studies of Reading, Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (TESL-EJ); South African Journal for Language Teaching) regularly including articles related to reading instruction research and publishing articles reporting statistical analyses, were reviewed and analysed. All articles in these journals from 2000-2005, employing statistical analyses were reviewed and analysed. The data was analysed by means of descriptive statistics (i.e., frequency counts and percentages). Qualitative reporting was also utilized. A review of six readily accessible (online) journals publishing research on reading instruction indicated that researchers/authors rely very heavily on statistical significance testing and very seldom, if ever, report effect size/effect magnitude or confidence interval measures when documenting their results. A review of the literature indicates that null hypothesis significance testing has been and is a controversial method of extracting information from experimental data and of guiding the formation of scientific conclusions. Several alternatives or complements to null hypothesis significance testing, namely effect sizes, confidence intervals and power analysis have been suggested. The following central theoretical statement was formulated for this study: Statistical significance tests should be supplemented with accurate reports of effect size, power analyses and confidence intervals in reading research studies. In addition, quantitative studies, utilising statistics as stated in the previous sentence, should be supplemented with qualitative studies in order to obtain a more comprehensive picture of reading instruction research. Research indicates that no single study ever establishes a programme or practice as effective; moreover it is the convergence of evidence from a variety of study designs that is ultimately scientifically convincing. When evaluating studies and claims of evidence, educators must not determine whether the study is quantitative or qualitative in nature, but rather if the study meets the standards of scientific research. The proposed framework presented in this study consists of three main parts, namely, part one focuses on the study's description of the intervention and the random assignment process, part two focuses on the study's collection of data and part three focuses on the study's reporting of results, specifically the statistical reporting of the results. / Thesis (Ph.D. (English))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

There is an increasing awareness in clinical dentistry of the need to better understand the aetiology and management of tooth wear, as increasing numbers of elderly patients are retaining their natural teeth to a stage when they present with extensive wear. In addition, more younger patients are presenting with wear of both primary and permanent teeth. In order to comply with the philosophy of minimal intervention dentistry, clinical management of tooth wear should focus on early detection and prevention before a restorative approach is considered. Fluoride is a commonly used agent in the management of tooth wear, with previous studies showing that it can protect teeth against erosion (at around pH 2.0 and 3.0) and toothbrush abrasion in an acidic environment (at around pH 3.0). However, it does not reduce attritional wear between opposing tooth specimens. Nightguards are commonly used to prevent attritional wear but there is still a need to improve preventive strategies to manage the risk of erosive tooth wear. Previous in vitro studies have shown that a remineralizing agent in the form of CPP-ACP (casein phosphopeptide – amorphous calcium phosphate) can reduce erosion of both enamel and dentine by white wine. A recent study has also highlighted the potential lubricating and remineralizing properties of a CPP-ACP containing paste (Tooth Mousse®, G C Asia Pty Ltd) in reducing dentine wear in both an acidic environment (pH 3.0) and a near neutral environment (pH 6.1). In this context, it is desirable to investigate the effect of CPP-ACP on enamel wear under conditions simulating various clinical situations and to better understand the nature of third-body components at the wear interface. The aims of the present study were: (i) to determine the effect of CPP-ACP on enamel wear under conditions simulating three clinical situations: heavy attrition with gastric regurgitation (at pH 1.2); toothbrush abrasion after an erosive episode (at pH 3.2); and erosion from gastric regurgitation (at pH 1.2), and (ii) to clarify its mode of action by characterizing the enamel surface treated with CPP-ACP. Electro-mechanical tooth wear machines were used to simulate attrition and toothbrush abrasion in combination with erosion, but no machine was used in experiments investigation erosion alone. The effect of paste containing CPP-ACP in reducing erosive tooth wear was also compared with that without CPP-ACP. Enamel surfaces with and without treatment with CPP-ACP were then characterized by using Time of Flight – Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). CPP-ACP was found to reduce enamel wear under conditions simulating heavy attrition combined with gastric regurgitation, and toothbrush abrasion after an erosive episode. However, it did not protect enamel from erosion under conditions simulating gastric regurgitation alone, indicating that its lubricating effect was more pronounced than its remineralizing effect. Silicone and ethyl siloxane were present in trace amounts on the enamel surface treated with Tooth Mousse®, thus they were found to be included in its formulation. These findings imply that CPP-ACP nanocomplexes and silicon can act as third body components to lubricate the wear interface. The findings presented in this thesis have implications for clinical management of tooth wear and may lead to new strategies of tooth wear prevention. Although some caution is needed in extrapolating these findings to the in vivo situation, it should be noted that in vitro studies provide valuable insights into separate components of the tooth wear process that are often difficult to distinguish in clinical situations. Overall, this thesis provides new information about the role of CPP-ACP in reducing erosive enamel wear and provides a basis for future experimental and clinical studies focussing on tooth wear prevention. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1379897 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Dentistry, 2009

In the light of recent changes on the audiovisual scene in Poland, audiences can choose among different AVT modalities. Although voice-over still prevails on Polish TV, subtitles have become more and more popular as an alternative form of film translation on television. Due to rapid technological advances, commercial requirements and differences in Polish viewers’ preferences, it is thus crucial to understand how audiences at different levels of English proficiency (low, medium, high) retrieve meaning, especially complex ironic meaning relayed through different methods of film translation, such as subtitles and voice-over and the extent to which verbal and non-verbal semiotic channels contribute to irony comprehension. Wilson and Sperber’s (1981, 1992; 1995) echoic theory of irony has been selected as the theoretical framework, given its ability to account for multimodal irony in audiovisual texts as well as the significant importance of non-verbal semiotic resources in the generation and interpretation of irony. The study employs triangulation, incorporating descriptive, experimental and interactionist components. The descriptive component involves multimodal transcription (Baldry and Thibault, 2006) of selected fragments in which irony plays a pivotal narrative role. This procedure aims to determine what non-verbal modes contribute to the multimodal construal of irony and how it is relayed in the subtitled and voiced-over translations. In the experimental component, viewers’ eye movements are recorded using eye-tracking technology while watching subtitled and voiced-over fragments of Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011). In the interactionist components, a questionnaire is used in order to elucidate how and/or whether they retrieve ironic meaning as intended by the filmmakers in the selected excerpts. The most obvious finding to emerge from the descriptive data analysis is that multimodal irony is not relayed by the film dialogue alone but, rather, in unison with non-verbal semiotic resources. The instances of multimodal irony in the two Sherlock Holmes films were found to perform narrative and comedic functions by combining the visual, kinesic and acoustic modes of film language. The analysis and comparison of SL dialogues and TL translations revealed two broad categories of irony relay, namely: preservation and modification. The majority of the instances of multimodal irony were modified in the subtitled version, while preservation is only sporadically opted for. In its voiced-over counterpart, the intended meaning is preserved and modified in equal proportions. The experimental component showed major differences in gaze patterns among the participants with different language skills in the subtitled clips. For instance, on average, LLPs spent more time reading the subtitles than HLPs or MLPs. Similar visual behavior, on the other hand, was observed among all viewers in the voiced-over clips in which the on-screen character’s face attracted the greatest amount of visual attention. The interactionist strand showed that the viewers retrieved the intended meaning to various extents depending on their English language proficiency. This data undergirds an assessment of the effectiveness of subtitles and voice-over in the translation and reception of multimodal irony on screen.