Skin is a very broad topic that allows discovering and exploring all the possibilities of what skin can be. Furthermore, skin is much known for its flexibility that can shape and wrap almost every object we can think of. At the beginning of my thesis research about skin, I thought I knew enough about it to start, but I discovered later on that skin is not a surface. Moreover, I directed myself into exploring more and more about skin and its characteristics. I built many models to help me understand some of the natural identity of skin and related materials. Those models became a concept for my project - a museum of skin instruments - in Alexandria, Virginia where I implied the mechanism of different skin instruments in each building. Exploration and experiments were the key to develop my design process. / Master of Architecture

Computer simulations are increasingly recognized as educational tools that facilitate students' learning in a safe environment. However, the way in which the simulations are used can have considerable impact on learning outcomes. Some have argued that exploratory learning is an effective strategy for learning new materials; but others have expressed concern that allowing free exploration may result in less efficient, or even inaccurate, learning and therefore encourage more guided exploration. The purpose of this research is to compare learning outcomes of nursing students in a critical care course when using an interactive computer simulation designed to teach fundamentals of oxygenation management under two exploratory learning methods (free versus guided exploration). The conceptual framework for the study was derived from the Informatics Research Organizing Model. The experimental study used a pretest-posttest design. Students in an existing or just finished critical care course were invited to participate in the study. Following a pretest that included a paper and pencil assessment of students' oxygenation management knowledge and two computer-generated clinical scenarios, students were encouraged to learn about the simulation using either guided or free exploration. The Guided Exploration group was given tasks to achieve, while the Free Exploration group was asked to learn about the instructional oxygenation management simulation without any specific tasks. Students then completed a posttest that was identical to the pretest with the addition of one novel clinical scenario to assess knowledge transfer. The results of data analysis using paired t-tests showed no significant differences in learning in the post test for the total group. The independent t-test showed no differences in the mean score between the Free and Guided Exploration groups.

In June, 1959, I entered into a contract with the United States Atomic Energy Commission (Contract No. AT(04-3-315) to direct a programme of human geographical studies in Northwestern Arctic Alaska. These studies were part of the bio-environmental programme for Project Chariot. They were centred on the Eskimo village of Point Hope but included the villages of Noatak and Point Lay. Although the contract terminated on June 1st, 1961 I remained in arctic Alaska for an additiona1 year of research. [...]

International entrepreneurship (IE) exists at the interface of two distinct research fields - entrepreneurship and international business (IB). However, IE studies typically fail to integrate research from both fields, leaning much more towards IB. This study uses core concepts from entrepreneurship to explain the export performance of early internationalising firms. It contributes to the network and international opportunity-based view in IE by incorporating the twin concepts of exploration and exploitation into a dynamic capability perspective, showing how these affect export performance. While early internationalising firms including born globals constitute an important component in IE, empirical interest in this field focuses on high-tech and knowledge-intensive industries from developed countries. In addition, research in the field is mainly of qualitative nature investigating small numbers of firms. Therefore, much is unknown about how early internationalising firms differ in their dynamic network capabilities and opportunity related capabilities. We investigate these aspects using structural equation modelling based on a sample of 647 SMEs and large, young and mature export start-ups operating in the traditional low-tech apparel industry from a South Asian developing country (Bangladesh). This study shows that both network exploitation and exploration capabilities positively influence international opportunity exploitation and exploration capabilities. In turn, international opportunity exploitation and exploration capabilities influence export performance. This study also demonstrates that the relationship between network capabilities and export performance is both direct and indirect through the mediation of the twin international opportunity capabilities. The moderation analysis of firm age and size sheds additional light on the liabilities of newness and smallness of early internationalising firms. Interestingly, we find that the liabilities of smallness and newness do not have the same influence in different stages of IE. The role of firm size is more pronounced at the earlier stage of IE. In contrast, firm age accentuates in the later stage of the twin opportunity capabilities-export performance relationship. One possible explanation of this may be that developing and managing networks for the purpose of exploiting and exploring international opportunities is the most effortful and resource demanding stage in the entrepreneurial process. During this stage, owner-managers assess their own organisational resources, explore the possibilities of attracting external network resources and match their own resources with those of network partners. This stage reflects what is called "resource orchestration" in the strategic entrepreneurship literature. In the later stage, when opportunities are already developed and exploited, only minimal resources are then needed to achieve performance advantage. Age becomes a dominant factor because older firms derive greater performance advantage than younger firms due to their accumulated experience and learning throughout the years. This study indicates that firms may overcome their liability of smallness by connecting with new foreign partners, especially customers, resulting in more export orders. Policy makers can also help them connect with new partners by organising trade fairs, trade missions and sponsoring other promotion programmes. With respect to the liability of newness prevailing in the later stage, owner-managers should work with prominent business partners to help them get good referrals and overcome the lack of legitimacy in establishing new relations. Finally, the managers of early internationalising firms should be empowered to develop relationships with external partners.

Les patients schizophrènes présentent une sensibilité exacerbée aux distracteurs dans tout l’environnement spatial. Paradoxalement, les études sur l’exploration visuelle avec enregistrement des mouvements oculaires, menées chez les patients schizophrènes, font état d’un profil d’exploration réduit des visages, des paysages, et des images non significatives. La majorité des études réalisées chez ces patients ont été réalisée en condition d’exploration passive (sans instructions) ou lors de la reconnaissance de l’expression faciale. Chez les sujets sains, deux principaux facteurs affectent l’orientation de l’attention : (1) les caractéristiques saillantes (stimulus-driven) de l’image, et (2) les objectifs de l’individu (goal-driven). En effet, les études menées chez les individus sains ont démontré que la capture automatique de l’attention par un distracteur peut être contrôlée lorsque l’attention est focalisée sur une tâche. De plus, des anomalies dans la coordination de séquences d’actions ont été rapportées dans la schizophrénie. Des études ont enregistré les mouvements des yeux de sujets sains pendant la réalisation d’une action (préparer un sandwich). Ces études ont montré que (1) la chronologie des mouvements oculaires suit la chronologie des actions nécessaires pour réaliser la tâche, et (2) l’exploration visuelle est insensible aux objets non pertinents de la scène. Notre objectif est d’examiner si les personnes souffrant de schizophrénie sont capables de contrôler l’orientation spatiale de l’attention au cours de situations impliquant différents degrés de complexité : (1) exploration passive (sans instructions, l’exploration est libre), et (2) exploration active (l’exploration est contrainte par la réalisation d’une tâche). Dans un premier temps, nos études portent sur la comparaison de l’exploration visuelle en condition passive (free viewing) et active (avec une tâche à réaliser) sur des visages. Dans un second temps, nous avons comparé l’exploration visuelle dans des situations d’intention d’action ou d’identification d’action sur des objets ou des personnages exécutant une action. Enfin, dans un troisième temps, les patients et les sujets sains ont été placés dans une situation naturelle avec réalisation d’une action avec des objets familiers ou non familiers. Nos études ont montré une exploration visuelle réduite des patients schizophrènes en condition d’exploration passive, et une amélioration de ce profil d’exploration lorsque les patients sont focalisés sur une tâche. Cependant, les patients présentaient des différences dans leurs stratégies d’exploration par rapport aux sujets sains. / Patients with schizophrenia present a perceptual distractibility in spatial environment. Paradoxically, studies monitoring eye movements, in patients with schizophrenia, show reduced visual scan paths on photographs of faces, landscapes, and meaningless images. In most of the previous studies in schizophrenia, visual scanning has been examined under passive viewing conditions, and for some of them, participants were asked to determine the facial expression. In healthy participants, two main factors affect the orientation of attention: (1) the stimulus-driven, and (2) the goal-driven. Indeed, studies in healthy participants have demonstrated that automatic attention on a distractor can be controlled when attention is focused on a task. Moreover, patients with schizophrenia present an action planning disorganization. Studies have recorded healthy participants’ eye movements during the making of an action (to make a sandwich). These studies have shown that the chronology of eye movements follows the chronology of necessary actions to realize the task, and (2) the visual scanning is independent of irrelevant objects in the scene. This thesis was designed to examine whether patients with schizophrenia are able to control the spatial orientation of their attention during situations implying various degrees of complexity: (1) free viewing, and (2) active viewing (with a task to accomplish). First of all, visual scan paths in a free viewing condition were compared with active viewing conditions on face images. Secondly, we have compared visual scanning in action intention or action identification situations on object images or pictures presenting a character accomplishing an action. Finally, patients with schizophrenia and healthy participants had to make an natural task with familiar or unfamiliar objects. Our studies have shown a restricted visual scanning of patients with schizophrenia in free viewing condition, and an improvement of this pattern when patients realize a task. However, patients with schizophrenia presented different visual strategies compared to healthy participants.

The specific objective of this research was to determine if the MACE (Mobile Assisted Career Exploration) Program has had an effect on the realistic occupational decision-making ability of students after a period of 3 years. Subjects were 12th grade students at Dixie High School. The experimental group was composed of 40 students (15 males and 25 females) who had been involved in project MACE in the ninth grade. The control group was composed of 32 students (15 males and 1 7 females) who had moved into the boundaries of Dixie High School since the loth grade and who had, therefore, not been involved in the MACE Program. Both groups were administered the SVIB (Strong Vocational Interest Blanks) to determine their highest interests. Grades for both semesters of the 11th grade and the first semester of the 12th grade were collected as an indicator of each student's strongest aptitudes. A questionnaire was administered wherein the student was required to 1) select an occupation that he was planning to enter; 2) report whether he thought his interest and aptitudes agreed with his job choice (the SVIB and grades were used as instruments to verify if a student's interests and aptitudes did in fact agree with his job choice); 3) report the degree of certainty he felt about his job choice; 4) select the type of training that would be required to qualify for his job choice; 5) report a specific institution where such training could be acquired; 6) report those persons and/ or influencing factors which had lead up to his job selection; and 7) report at which grade level he had decided on his present job choice. Seven null hypotheses were formulated stating differences would not be found between the control and experimental groups on the criteria measured by the aforementioned measuring instruments. Results of the study indicate that in fact no difference was found between the experimental and control groups in the following areas tested. Correct identification of personal interests with job choice. Correct identification of personal aptitudes with job choice. Degree of certainty about job choice. Selection of the categories mobile van, parents and personal interests as being of assistance in making a job choice. Selection of the ninth and 10th grades as the time periods when job choice was made. Selection of an appropriate type of education or training for the student's job choice. Selection of a specific and appropriate institution at which the student had made plans to obtain the training or education for his job choice. On the criteria measured, the MACE Program had no apparent longitudinal effect on the occupational decision-making ability (as defined in this study) of the students tested. Several limitations of the study should be considered in this conclusion: 1) sample size was small and limited to a rural, all-white population; 2) other measures may detect advantageous effects of the program. However, it is recommended that a program such as MACE be part of a total K-12 career development program rather than a one grade level experience.

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L’intelligence d’affaires a mis en place des processus et des procédures permettant l’accès à une donnée unique. Des rapports, des requêtes et des analyses sont possibles sur cette structure. L’exploration de données a bénéficié de ces démarches et a fait naitre l’exploration de textes. L’exploration de textes est peu employée par rapport à l’exploration de données, et ce autant par la communauté scientifique que par le domaine privé. La syntaxe et la grammaire mathématique sont universelles tandis que la syntaxe et la grammaire linguistique sont régionales et plus complexes. Ces limitations ont restreint les recherches sur l’exploration des textes. Ce mémoire s’intéresse à l’utilisation d’un outil d’exploration de textes dans le contexte juridique. Plus précisément, l’objectif de la présente recherche est d’utiliser l’outil pour en découvrir les défis et opportunités découlant de l’exploration des liens des textes et de la classification supervisée et non supervisée. Afin d’atteindre cet objectif, la présente recherche s’appuie sur le « design science » et la méthodologie « CRISP-DM », le tout dans le but de sélectionner un outil logiciel approprié à la recherche, d’effectuer l’exploration de textes et d’analyser les résultats. Les principaux résultats qui émanent des analyses effectuées avec l’outil IBM PASW SPSS sont les suivants. Premièrement, une analyse des liens entre les textes permet de faire ressortir les concepts des différents domaines de droit. Deuxièmement, l’analyse « Two-Steps » fait ressortir 3 classes dans le corpus complet qui comprend 4 domaines. Enfin, les analyses de classifications supervisées ont eu un taux de succès entre 46 et 60 % sur les échantillons de validation. Les modèles développés sont peu performants et selon moi ils ne peuvent pas être déployés à la SOQUIJ. La connaissance du domaine juridique est importante afin d’analyser et interpréter les textes propres à la SOQUIJ. Il en va de même afin de créer un dictionnaire pour l’exploration de textes. Ce dictionnaire spécifique au droit manque pour l’obtention de résultats plus probants. Plusieurs avenues sont intéressantes pour les recherches futures. Des plus intéressantes, notons la validation de l’impact de la création d’un dictionnaire pour réviser les différentes analyses et aussi d’étudier le résultat des 3 classes créées par le « Two-Steps ».

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