The knowledge of solid-state second phase heterogeneous nucleation process is limited due to the experimental difficulty, such as tiny length scale, short time period, and high temperature condition. In recent years, some significant breakthroughs in nucleation studies have been achieved by aid of computational techniques. In this study, we apply molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to perform with heterogeneous nucleation occurring at grain boundaries (GB) during the austenite (FCC) phase to ferrite (BCC) phase transformation in a pure Fe polycrystalline system. A neighbor vector analysis (NVA) method has been introduced and it is shown how the NVA can be used to determine the misorientation of grain or interphase boundaries, which allow a further investigation of the boundary structure correlated to interfacial energy and mobility during the nucleation and early grain growth stage. Meanwhile, benefited from the MD technique, the bulk energy, grain boundary energy, and interfacial energy can be individually captured during the simulations, which allow a detail analyze of the shape, critical size and nucleation energy of specific nuclei, through the classical nucleation theory (CNT) and according to a faceted-spherical cap geometric model (FSC). In addition, we also compared the results from the classical approach with a new algorithm that combination of the multi-phase field model (MPFM) and the nudged elastic band (NEB) method to demonstrate the CNT in the solid-state conduction. Finally, we extend our simulation method to a more complex triple GB junction nucleation event, and investigate the non-classical barrier-free nucleation behaviors. The results support the critical informations to clarify the initial state of austenite to ferrite transition, and improve our knowledge of the heterogeneous nucleation process, which help to bridge the gap between the experimental measurements and the theoretical calculations. The simulation method also provided a new approach for studying the complicate heterogeneous nucleation phenomenon in solid-state for a wide variety of polycrystalline material systems. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The abundance of natural languages and the complexities involved in describingtheir structures pose significant challenges for modern linguists, not only in documentation but also in the systematic organization of knowledge. Computational linguisticstools hold promise in comprehending the “big picture”, provided existing grammars aredigitized and made available for analysis using state-of-the-art language models. Extensive efforts have been made by an international team of linguists to compile such aknowledge base, resulting in the DReaM corpus – a comprehensive dataset comprisingtens of thousands of digital books containing multilingual language descriptions.However, there remains a lack of tools that facilitate understanding of concise language structures and uncovering overlooked topics and dialects. This thesis representsa small step towards elucidating the broader picture by utilizing a subset of the DReaMcorpus as a vector space capable of capturing genetic ties among described languages.To achieve this, we explore several encoding algorithms in conjunction with varioussegmentation strategies and vector summarization approaches for generating bothmonolingual and cross-lingual feature representations of selected grammars in Englishand Russian.Our newly proposed sentence-facets TF-IDF model shows promise in unsupervisedgeneration of monolingual representations, conveying sufficient signal to differentiate historical linguistic relations among 484 languages from 26 language familiesbased on their descriptions. However, the construction of a cross-lingual vector spacenecessitates further exploration of advanced technologies.

[pt] Essa dissertação propõe um modelo de processamento da informação baseado em conjuntos, que pode ser visto como uma generalização do modelo de grafos clássico para hipertextos. Este modelo pressupõe um modelo semântico de um domínio de aplicação, e a partir deste são definidos conjuntos de objetos. Tarefas de processamento da informação que os usuários devem executar, com apoio da aplicação, são descritas como composições funcionais de operações realizadas sobre os itens de informação e sobre os conjuntos definidos. Este tipo de modelo permite a construção de aplicações com interfaces de manipulação direta sobre os itens e conjuntos, e inclui, entre outras, as interfaces de navegação facetada, atualmente, encontradas na Web. Neste tipo de interface, o usuário constrói a composição funcional que representa a computação desejada de forma incremental, através da manipulação direta de elementos na interface. Esta dissertação especifica este modelo, e apresenta uma implementação no ambiente .Net. Além da definição dos itens e conjuntos, é também gerada uma Linguagem Específica de Domínio (Domain Specific Language, DSL) que permite a expressão direta das operações sobre itens e conjuntos. O modelo proposto, e sua implementação, é integrado a um framework para geração de interfaces para manipulação direta de conjuntos, objeto de outra dissertação. É apresentado um estudo de caso, utilizando o modelo, a sua implementação e a integração com a interface, ilustrando como a abordagem facilita diversos tipos de tarefas comumente realizadas por usuários de aplicações Web. / [en] This dissertation proposes an information processing model based on sets that can be seen as a generalization of the classic model of graphs for hypertexts. This model estimates a semantic model of an application domain, and the sets of objects are defined from this. Information processing tasks that the users should execute, with support of the application, are described as functional compositions of operations applied over the information items and over the defined sets. This model type allows the application construction with interfaces of direct manipulation on items and sets, and includes, among others, the faceted navigation interfaces that are currently found in the Web. In this type of interface, the user builds the functional composition that represents the desired computation in the incremental form, through the direct manipulation of elements in the interface.This dissertation specifies this model, and presents an implementation in the .Net environment. Beyond the definition of items and sets, it generates a Domain Specific Language (DSL) that allows the direct expression of operations on items and sets. The proposed model, and its implementation, is integrated with a framework for generating direct manipulation interfaces on sets, that is the focus of another dissertation. A study case is presented, using the model, its implementation and the integration with the interface, illustrating how the approach facilitates different types of tasks that are frequently executed by Web application users.

The ability to perform everyday life occupations is a critical component in both evaluation and intervention for persons with mental retardation (MR). While the ability to perform personal and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL) has always been important for occupational therapy (OT) practice, there is an absence in OT literature and research with a focus on ADL and persons with MR. The overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate the validity of the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) for evaluation and intervention of ADL ability for persons with MR. In order to evaluate the evidence of validity of the AMPS ability measures based on relation to level of MR, two groups of participants with MR were evaluated with the AMPS (,#=22; #= 39). The results indicated expected moderate relationships between ADL motor and ADL process ability measures and level of MR, despite different methods used for evaluating level of MR. The results also indicated that the results of the AMPS evaluation could be used to directly describe and measure the consequences in performance of ADL tasks for persons with different levels of MR. The evidence of validity of the AMPS was further examined in a study including participants with different types of developmental disabilities (e.g., MR, cerebral palsy, spina bifida) (#=1724). An application of many-faceted Rasch analysis was used to examine goodness-of-fit of the responses for the tasks, skill items, and participants included in the study. All tasks and all items except one demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit to the model on the ADL motor and ADL process scales. An expected proportion of participants demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit on the ADL motor scale. On the ADL process scale, a slightly lower proportion of participants than expected demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit. The results indicated further that persons with more severe levels of MR and persons with more limited ADL process abilities demonstrated different response patterns across tasks and possibly items. The evidence of validity of the internal structure of the AMPS scales was also evaluated between persons with mild and moderate MR (#=178; #=170). Group specific ADL motor and ADL process skill item hierarchies were generated using many-faceted Rasch analyses and compared. The hierarchies of ADL motor and ADL process skill items remained stable across groups, indicating evidence of validity of the AMPS scales when used to evaluate persons with MR. The results also indicated that although participants with moderate MR demonstrated overall lower mean ADL motor and ADL process ability, they did perform some specific ADL motor and ADL process skills at a similar level as persons with mild MR. Finally, the utility of the AMPS ability measures for detecting change were examined in an intervention study including three female participants with moderate MR. The study was based on a single case design and evaluated the effectiveness of a structured occupational therapy intervention program. Improvements were found for the participants in relation to the implementation of the program, but the pattern of changes were different between the participants and across the dependent variables. ADL process ability was the only variable that improved across all participants. The results supported the ADL process abilities as sensitive measures for detecting changes in ADL ability of persons with MR. In conclusion, the results of these studies contribute to the evidence of validity of the AMPS ability measures and scales, specifically in relation to the evaluation of persons with MR. The finding that an OT program resulted in improved ADL process ability also suggest that the results of the AMPS can be used to plan as well as evaluate outcomes of OT practice. Further research is also suggested in order to improve validity evidence and utility of the AMPS when used with persons with MR. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2003</p>

Eine in vielen Bibliothekskatalogen bislang nicht verwirklichte Recherchefunktion ist die gezielte Suche nach Literatur aus bestimmten Fachgebieten. Recherchen mit Notationen der im Katalog verwendeten Klassifikation oder mit Schlagwörtern können den Anspruch an eine fachgebietsumfassende Suche meist nicht erfüllen. Eine mögliche Lösung ist die Entwicklung einer bibliotheksspezifischen fachlichen Facette, in der jeder Titel über seine sachlichen Erschließungsdaten einem oder mehreren Fächern zugeordnet wird. Im Vortrag wird nach einem Überblick über bereits vorhandene fachliche Facettierungsmöglichkeiten in verschiedenen Bibliothekskatalogen die Konzeption einer fachlichen Facette für den Bibliothekskatalog der Universitätsbibliothek Mannheim erläutert. Hierbei wurden im Besonderen die vorliegenden Sacherschließungsdaten sowie die fachlichen Schwerpunkte der Medienbestände der Universitätsbibliothek Mannheim berücksichtigt. Das Ziel war die Definition und die Zusammenstellung von Fächern, die im Bibliothekskatalog in unterschiedlichen Varianten umgesetzt und verwendet werden können.

[pt] Hoje em dia e-learning está se tornando mais importante por possibilitar a disseminação de conhecimento e informação através da internet de uma forma mais rápida e menos dispendiosa. Consequentemente, de modo a filtrar o que é mais relevante e/ou de interesse do usuário, arquiteturas e técnicas de personalização vêm sendo abordadas. Dentre as muitas possibilidades de personalização existentes, a que lida com acessibilidade está se tornando essencial, pois garante que uma grande variedade de usuários possa ter acesso à informação conforme suas necessidades e características. Acessibilidade não é apenas garantir que pessoas com alguma deficiência, ou dificuldade, possam ter acesso à informação, apesar de ser importante e eventualmente ser uma exigência legal. Acessibilidade é também garantir que uma larga variedade de usuários e interfaces possam obter acesso à informação, maximizando assim a audiência potencial. Esta dissertação apresenta uma extensão do LORIS, um sistema de integração de repositórios de objetos de aprendizagem, descrevendo as alterações na sua arquitetura para ser capaz de lidar com acessibilidade e reconhecer diferentes versões de um mesmo objeto de aprendizagem, permitindo assim que um usuário execute uma consulta considerando seu perfil e preferências. Foi desenvolvido um protótipo dos serviços descritos na arquitetura utilizando serviços Web e navegação facetada, bem como padrões web, de e-learning e de acessibilidade. O uso de serviços Web e de padrões visa promover flexibilidade e interoperabilidade, enquanto a navegação facetada, como implementada, permite que o usuário aplique múltiplos filtros aos resultados da consulta sem a necessidade de re-submetê-la. / [en] Nowadays e-learning is becoming more important as it makes possible the dissemination of knowledge and information through the internet in a faster and costless way. Consequently, in order to filter what is more relevant and/or of users interest, architectures and personalization techniques have been raised. Among the many existing possibilities of personalization, the one that deals with accessibility is becoming essential because it guarantees that a wide variety of users may have access to the information according to their preferences and needs. Accessibility is not just about ensuring that disabled people can access information, although this is important and may be a legal requirement. It is also about ensuring that the wide variety of users and devices can all gain access to information, thereby maximizing the potential audience. This dissertation presents an extension of LORIS, an integration system of learning object repositories, describing the changes on its architecture to make it able to deal with accessibility and to recognize different versions of the same learning object, thus allowing a user to execute a query considering his/her preferences and needs. A prototype of the services that are described in the architecture was developed using web services and faceted navigation, as well as e-learning and accessibility standards. The use of web services and standards aims at providing flexibility and interoperability, while the faceted navigation, as implemented, allows the user to apply multiple filters to the query results without the need to resubmit it.

Many organizations are trying to re-create the ‘Google experience’, to find and exploit their own corporate information. However, there is evidence that finding information in the workplace using search engine technology has remained difficult, with socio-technical elements largely neglected in the literature. Explication of the factors and generative mechanisms (ultimate causes) to effective search task outcomes (user satisfaction, search task performance and serendipitous encountering) may provide a first step in making improvements. A transdisciplinary (holistic) lens was applied to Enterprise Search and Discovery capability, combining critical realism and activity theory with complexity theories to one of the world’s largest corporations. Data collection included an in-situ exploratory search experiment with 26 participants, focus groups with 53 participants and interviews with 87 business professionals. Thousands of user feedback comments and search transactions were analysed. Transferability of findings was assessed through interviews with eight industry informants and ten organizations from a range of industries. A wide range of informational needs were identified for search filters, including a need to be intrigued. Search term word co-occurrence algorithms facilitated serendipity to a greater extent than existing methods deployed in the organization surveyed. No association was found between user satisfaction (or self assessed search expertise) with search task performance and overall performance was poor, although most participants had been satisfied with their performance. Eighteen factors were identified that influence search task outcomes ranging from user and task factors, informational and technological artefacts, through to a wide range of organizational norms. Modality Theory (Cybersearch culture, Simplicity and Loss Aversion bias) was developed to explain the study observations. This proposes that at all organizational levels there are tendencies for reductionist (unimodal) mind-sets towards search capability leading to ‘fixes that fail’. The factors and mechanisms were identified in other industry organizations suggesting some theory generalizability. This is the first socio-technical analysis of Enterprise Search and Discovery capability. The findings challenge existing orthodoxy, such as the criticality of search literacy (agency) which has been neglected in the practitioner literature in favour of structure. The resulting multifactorial causal model and strategic framework for improvement present opportunities to update existing academic models in the IR, LIS and IS literature, such as the DeLone and McLean model for information system success. There are encouraging signs that Modality Theory may enable a reconfiguration of organizational mind-sets that could transform search task outcomes and ultimately business performance.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:38:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel Arndt Alves.pdf: 2209407 bytes, checksum: a6666b076f2092849473cc3bea05c83a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-11 / Content Management Systems (CMS) are essential tools for the development and maintenance of corporate and educational portals, and their choices are essential to the success and update of those real sources of information. This choice becomes extremely complex and expensive due to a variety of products available that offer features and attributes that while delivery facilities requires more and more services to its permanent update. In the choice process it is necessary to consider all the desired and offered functional requirements in each product so that this choice will consider the best possible technical and professional conditions of each Portal to be developed. This research shows the to development of a methodology and a system for decision support in this assessment and choice, considering many options as subjective, technical and usability criteria. A case study is presented for the construction and maintenance of a university portal. / Sistemas de Gerenciamento de Conteúdos (Content Management Systems CMS) são ferramentas essenciais para o desenvolvimento e manutenção de portais corporativos e educacionais, e sua escolha criteriosa é fundamental para o sucesso e a atualização destas verdadeiras centrais de informações, imprescindíveis hoje em dia. Esta escolha tornou-se uma tarefa extremamente complexa e dispendiosa devido à grande diversidade de produtos disponíveis que oferecem características e atributos que, ao mesmo tempo, oferecem facilidades e requerem muito serviço para sua permanente atualização. No processo de escolha é necessário considerar todos os requisitos funcionais desejados e oferecidos em cada produto para que esta escolha venha a atender da melhor forma possível às condições técnicas e profissionais de cada portal a ser desenvolvido. Esta pesquisa apresenta o desenvolvimento de uma metodologia e um sistema para apoio à decisão nessa avaliação e escolha, considerando múltiplas opções, ou critérios tanto técnicos quanto subjetivos e de usabilidade. Um estudo de caso é apresentado para a construção e manutenção de um portal universitário.

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Although classroom assessment is one of the most frequent practices carried out by teachers in all educational programs, limited research has been conducted to investigate the dependability and validity of criterion-referenced tests (CRTs). The main purpose of this study is to develop a criterion-referenced test for first-year Japanese university students in a general English program. To this end, four research questions are formulated: (a) To what extent do the criterion-referenced items function effectively?; (b) To what extent do the facets of persons, items, sections, classes, and subtests contribute to the total score variation in two CRT forms?; (c) To what extent are two CRT forms dependable when administered as pretests and posttests?; and (d) To what extent are two CRT forms valid when administered as pretests and posttests? Two CRT forms made up of vocabulary (k = 25), listening (k = 20), and reading (k = 25) subtests were administered to 249 students using a counterbalanced design. Criterion-referenced item analyses showed that most items were working well for criterion-referenced purposes. Both univariate and multivariate generalizability studies indicated that the most of the variance was accounted for by the interaction effect, followed by the items effect, and then by the persons effect. FACETS analyses showed the separation for all the facets accounted for in the analyses and showed that item separation was greater than person separation. This indicated that the students' ability estimates were similar due to their having taken a placement test, whose results were used to form proficiency-based classes. Both univariate and multivariate decision studies indicated that the CRT forms were moderately to highly dependable. The content validity of the CRT forms was supported because the test content was strongly linked to what was taught in class. The construct validity was supported mainly because a fair amount of score gain was observed. This study elucidates how the statistical analyses used in this study can be applied to CRT development, and how CRT development can be carried out as part of curriculum development. / Educational Administration