Registrar of investment instruments in the European and comparative perspective Abstract The submitted thesis deals with the regulation of a registrar of investment instruments in the context of the relevant Czech and European Union laws. The aim of this dissertation is to provide a theoretical insight into the issues of regulation of investment instruments within the statutory and case law, taking into account current issues that are relevant from the practical point of view. This thesis also adequately addresses the prospects of a legislative development of activities on the European Union level and it reflects some practical trends in the financial markets sector. The first two chapters deal with general and theoretical issues that are closely related to the main topic of the thesis. They specifically focus on a definition of investment instruments and its registrar in the current jurisprudence and economic science, and also include a detailed explanation of the significance of these two subjects. The second chapter also adequately addresses the legal aspects of investment instruments, immobilized securities and book-entry securities in line with the relevant Czech laws. The third chapter provides a detailed legal analysis of relevant laws and regulations of the registrar of investment instruments....

The purpose of this body of work was to address medication errors and safe medication administration practices in relation to practicing nurses and nursing students via several different approaches. These different approaches will be presented as three separate papers but interrelated themes. The specific purpose for each paper and the corresponding research questions were addressed individually in each chapter. The approach used in the first paper was a systematic literature search of medication administration errors and the pediatric population; five themes emerged including the incidence rate of medication administration errors, specific medications involved in medication administration errors and classification of the errors, why medication administration errors occur, medication error reporting, and interventions to reduce medication errors. The approach used in the second paper included a systematic literature review and implementation of a survey, both focusing on the assessment strategies for safe medication administration with practicing nurses and nursing students. Results of both the review and the survey indicated a lack of a comprehensive assessment of safe medication administration. The approach used in the third paper was a research study to conduct a psychometric evaluation of the Safe Medication Administration (SAM) Scale with baccalaureate nursing students. Results provided evidence of the validity and reliability of the SAM Scale. This body of work exposed a gap in nursing and demonstrates the importance of having a standardized assessment of safe medication administration with evidence of validity and reliability to demonstrate competency in this area.

Research indicates that many elementary students do not comprehend that the equal sign is an indication that an equality relation exists between two structures. Instead, they perceive the equal sign as an indication that a particular procedure is to be performed. As students mature, and as their exposure to the equal sign and equality relations in multiple contexts increases, most obtain the ability to interpret the equal sign as an indicator of an equivalence relation. Incorrect usages of the equal sign, however, by post-algebra students indicate a tendency for students to regress back to a comprehension of the equal sign as an operator symbol or to ignore the equal sign altogether. The purpose of this project was to develop an instrument that is relevant to objectives associated with the interpretation of the equals relation, and to perform a test reliability analysis to assess measurement reliability and construct validity for the instrument. The model that was utilized to develop items for the instrument followed a general item development and validity assessment model proposed by Cangelosi. This model requires an iterative process that includes a peer review of objectives and instrument items by a panel of experts and a revision of the items based upon recommendations from the panel. A pilot test was synthesized from the revised items and administered to a group of subjects, and an instrument reliability analysis and an item efficiency analysis were performed. The quantitative and qualitative data obtained from this process were used to create the 18-item instrument entitled, Wheeler Test for Comprehension of Equals. The researcher recommends further validity assessments for the instrument across multiple settings and subject groups.

Le présent travail, réalisé dans le cadre du projet ANR MAESSTRO, concerne le remplacement des tables d’harmonie de piano traditionnellement constituées d’épicéa par des structures composites stratifiées. Cette démarche suppose une connaissance fine des matériaux à remplacer et des matériaux de remplacement. La contribution de la thèse consiste donc en le développement d’outils de caractérisation du comportement dynamique de structures viscoélastiques anisotropes hétérogènes sur une large bande de fréquence. Dans une première partie, l’étude théorique de la propagation des ondes planes dans ces structures est étudiée. Contrairement à une approche modale classique, les conditions aux limites et chargements sont écartés du problème. Les surfaces de dispersion obtenues contiennent la signature de l’anisotropie, de l’hétérogénéité des propriétés mécaniques ou encore du comportement dissipatif de la structure. La deuxième partie est dédiée au développement d’un moyen de mesure plein-champ robotisé. Celui-ci permet la mesure du champ de vitesse tridimensionnel instantané d’une structure soumise à un chargement dynamique répétable. La définition de l’expérience est intégrée dans un environnement CAO, permettant la prise en compte des problématiques liées à l’utilisation d’un bras robot, ainsi que l’automatisation complète de la mesure. La troisième partie est consacrée à la formulation de procédures d’identification basées sur les mesures obtenues. Les paramètres d’un modèle réduit de la mesure sont identifiés par le biais d’une méthode ESPRIT originale, intégrant des développements spécifiques aux mesures plein-champ. Ces paramètres sont ensuite utilisés pour exprimer un problème aux valeurs propres inverse permettant l’identification des propriétés de la structure mesurée. La démarche est mise en œuvre dans le cadre de l’analyse modale (régime transitoire) et l’analyse en vecteurs d’onde proposée (régime permanent). Des validations expérimentales sur des poutres homogènes et plaques anisotropes sont présentées. Le manuscrit conclut par l’application des méthodes proposées à l’identification des propriétés matériau d’une table d’harmonie de piano à queue Stephen Paulello Technologies SP190// / The present work, as part of the MAESSTRO ANR project, is motivated by the replacement of wood by composite material in the design of the piano soundboard. The main focus is on the characterization of the mechanical properties of both replaced and replacement materials in a wide frequency range, taking into account anisotropy, heterogeneous and viscoelastic behavior. First, the wave propagation in such structures is investigated; boundary conditions and loads are discarded to focus on the mechanisms responsible for the energy transmission in the media. The footprint of the complex behavior of the studied structures is represented and interpreted via the dispersion surfaces. Second, a robotized setup is proposed, allowing for the measurement of the full-field instantaneous 3D velocity along the surface of structures submitted to a repeated dynamic load. Third, identification methods using this experimental data are proposed. Based on the parameters of a reduced signal model of the measurement identified with an original ESPRIT method, inverse eigenvalue problems are formulated. Both transient and steady regime are investigated, respectively through modal analysis and the proposed wavevector analysis. The proposed methods are validated through applications on homogeneous beams and anisotropic plates. Finally, the overall proposed procedure is applied for the identification of the material properties of the soundboard of the Stephen Paulello technologies SP190// grand piano

Evaluation capacity development (ECD) has been acknowledged as a system of processes to help organizations achieve sustainable evaluation practice. Examining the existing evaluation capacity of an organization before starting an ECD process is necessary and will increase the possibilities of success, determined by the establishment or strengthening of an evaluation system into the organization. In response to this need, this study involved the designing of the Organizational Readiness for Evaluation Capacity Development (ORECD) checklist and its initial validation, using a mixed method research design. The study was conducted in four phases, including: (a) the design of the ORECD checklist based on a review of the literature; (b) a review of the ORECD checklist by five experts to obtain face and content validity evidences, with emphasis on relevance and clarity of the items and how well the items fit the corresponding component; (c) a pretesting about the appropriateness of the wording of the items and format of the ORECD checklist by a sample of doctoral graduate students with formal training in evaluation and professional evaluators; and (d) a field study with 32 nonprofit organizations to determine the utility and benefits of using the ORECD checklist and potential improvements to the instrument. This phase generated information about the psychometric properties as well as consequential validity evidence. Findings indicated that the ORECD checklist has great potential to determine the readiness of an organization to develop evaluation capacity, as demonstrated by the feedback received from various groups of participants, establishing face, content, and consequential validity. Results from the psychometric analysis showed correlations that, for the most part, suggested that the components are measuring aspects of the same construct. In addition, the alpha for most of the components supported the reliability of the ORECD checklist. The two components with alphas close to but below .70 required modifications in order to improve their reliability. Also, it was necessary to modify or reword some of the items. Ongoing efforts should provide information about how the changes made to the ORECD checklist are working and additional validity evidences as the one that can be obtained through factor analysis. This will allow the exploration of the underlying structure of the ORECD checklist and its components. It is expected that the ORECD checklist can be a contribution to the body of literature about ECD helping to address organizational readiness in order to support and sustain the development of evaluation capacity within organizations.

Past research into defining and measuring the characteristics of learning environments in Science Education Centres and Science Museums (SECSMs) has been based upon low-inference measures, such as observations and interviews. Many searchers feel that the diversity of informal education settings in SECSMs makes it difficult to develop high-inference measures for informal learning environments. This study used the semiformal environment of the CSIRO Science Education Centres as a stepping-stone between formal and informal learning environments. A review of learning environment research identified a possible procedure for the development of, and a format for, a suitable instrument. Research in SECSMs was reviewed to identify learning environment factors that defined the CSIROSEC learning environment. A pilot study was conducted to determine the feasibility of developing a learning environment instrument for CSIROSECs. This led to the more formal process of developing a learning environment instrument for CSIROSECs based upon the five scales of Affect, Social Interaction, Novelty, Independence and Involvement. / A number of cycles of testing of the instrument, statistical analyses, and subsequent refinements resulted in the Learning Environment Instrument for CSIRO Science Education Centres (LEI for CSIROSECs). The instrument measures distinct, if somewhat overlapping, aspects of the learning environment. The LEI for CSIROSECs displays comparable measures for internal consistency (alpha reliability) and discriminant validity to existing learning environment instruments. The sensitivity of the instrument has been demonstrated for the comparison of different classes, comparison of teacher-student perceptions, comparison of primary and secondary classes, and the comparison of CSIROSEC programs. Suggestions have been made for applications of the LEI for CSIROSECs and its further development,as well as its potential use in research.

In some classrooms, teaching methods have evolved little over the years. Enrolments in subjects like science have progressively declined and the persistent use of traditional teaching methods has often been held responsible for this. In less than a decade, the Internet has emerged as a potential tool to vary classroom routines, however, its use in high school science classrooms is still in its infancy. In this study, Getsmart, a website was developed and implemented in junior science and senior physics classrooms in a blended learning environment in a Queensland State High School. The study had three main objectives amongst others. The first aim was to study the impact of such an environment on students' perceptions. Secondly, the impact of such an environment on students' attitudes towards physics and junior science was studied. Finally, the research sought to investigate the effect of such an environment on their learning outcomes. Getsmart was developed on the principles of cognitive apprenticeship teaching model (Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989). During the research phase, the website was accessed by students once a week during class time. They also had the option to login in their own time at school (e.g., morning tea, lunchtime, before and after school) and at home. The research was conducted as a case study over two years and during this time, 406 students in junior science and physics participated. Students' perceptions of their learning environment were ascertained through quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data were collected by using a modified version of the Web-based Learning Environment Instrument (WEBLEI) (Chang & Fisher, 2003). / Qualitative data on student's attitudes were gathered through emails and Written surveys. An Attitude to Science survey was developed to determine students' attitudes towards their subjects. Qualitative data were also gathered through written surveys. The impact of such an environment on students' learning outcomes was determined through the analysis of their exam results achieved before and after experiencing web-based learning. Their results were also compared with the results of similar cohorts in previous years. Amongst other findings, it was found that the modified version of the WEBLEI was a valid and reliable instrument for use in junior science and physics classes. The study also established that students had positive perceptions of a blended web-based learning environment and that such an approach had a positive influence on students' attitudes towards their subjects. The study also found that web-based learning improved their performance across various performance domains of junior science and senior physics assessments.

During the past three decades, much research has occurred into students' conceptions as well as factors influencing them and how the conceptions are formed. This study reports on students' conceptions involving energy and the human body. Initially, a number of student conceptions within the overarching area of energy and the human body were identified by developing and administering questionnaires to 610 students ranging from Year 8 through to Year 12. Students' responses to the questionnaire items resulted in previously identified conceptions as well as a number of unreported ones. The unreported notions included: carbohydrates are different to sugars; energy is needed for organs to function; fats and their role in energy storage; the eye and ear do not convert energy but transfer it to the brain; sweat cools the skin due to contact with air; objects need energy to start moving but not to move; and aspects of respiration and digestion. Conceptions such as the particulate nature of energy, energy's usefulness, conservation and transfer of energy, role of digestion and respiration, sources of energy were associated with previously identified notions which were derived from both informal and formal learning situations. But, it was not possible to distinguish which source knowledge was derived from. From these notions, a series of possible pathways for conceptual development within the area of energy and the human body were described. Further analysis of the data indicated a number of ontological changes that can occur as the student-cohort became older. These ontological changes included a decline in the notion of energy being particulate to being non-particulate and not being described, through to being involved in the chemical bonds of molecules, the role and processes of digestion, the number of energy types and energy sources and how the eye and ear function. / All these conceptions changed with student age and became more scientifically acceptable in their nature as students' formal education increased. Based upon the findings of the above questionnaires, a diagnostic paper and pencil instrument set of 20 items based upon a modified two tier multiple-choice format was developed to identify student held conceptions on energy and the human body. Subsequently, an interventionist strategy was designed and implemented to help students avoid the development of misconceptions as they construct acceptable concepts related to digestion and to respiration. This strategy follows the passage of food from its ingestion through to the absorbed foods conversion into ATP for use by the body. The findings of this study are to be of use to science teachers worldwide, not only in Western Australia as the findings of this thesis are relevant to educators of students in Years 8 to 12. The findings are related to energy in general but specifically to the students' own body. These findings relate directly to an intrinsically interesting feature, the student's own body. Another outcome of these misconception findings are two instruments which are likely to be of value to educators of Years 8 to 12 students. These are a diagnostic instrument designed to identify a number of alternative conceptions learners may hold and secondly a lesson sequence dealing with digestion and respiration and the role these have in the conversion and transfer of energy in the body.

This is an interdisciplinary research project in which the methods of Industrial and Product Design Engineering are focused upon a problem in Orthopaedics. One of the most controversial areas in Orthopaedics is the reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The current twin-instrument method for locating the ACL is difficult for surgeons with fewer than 500 surgical experiences. This was clearly demonstrated by Kohn, Busche and Cans (1995), and confirmed by Sommer, Friederich and Muller (2000), Sudhahar, Glasgow and Donell (2004), and Kuga, Yasuda, Hata et al. (2004). The above research indicates that the problem is not only one of anatomical location, but of how the operation takes place. The aim of the research was, therefore, to develop a new and improved surgical instrument and technique for locating the ACL anatomical landmarks. The research described in this thesis employs a number of design methods that can be used separately or in combination (hybrid process). They form the theory base that guides the design process. This allows the designer to engage in a flexible process that is effective in finding design solutions to the problem. Within this process, iterative case studies were employed in order to design a new surgical device for ACL reconstruction. The thesis describes a series of designed devices (case studies) that were iteratively developed and surgically tested, leading to a penultimate device. This latter device was tested via a number of surgical operations. The device provides a new method for externally locating the internal ACL attachment points. The research has resulted in a commercial association with Smith and Nephew Surgical Australia and BrainLAB AG Germany for the commercialisation of this technique. At the time of writing, the next stage of research and development is under way. This is using a frameless computer-aided image guidance system in the place of X-ray.

Since 1977 ten innovatory keyboard laboratories, which enable teachers to utilize group teaching methods in musical instrument instruction, have been set up in A.C.T. educational institutions. Reactions to this innovation have been varied, and its usefulness queried. However, there has been a lack of information and little evidence of systematic research in Australia on this topic, perhaps because there are very few areas outside the A.C.T. where keyboard laboratories are used in schools. The investigation reported here attempted to determine why the innovation spread so rapidly in the A.C.T., the uses to which it was being put, and the kinds of support mechanisms that were necessary to ensure its optimum use. An interview known as the Levels of Use Interview was selected as the main method of collecting data from teachers using keyboard laboratories, and by analysing these interviews in the context of the A.C.T. educational milieu it was possible to predict a future pattern of usage, and recommend appropriate action to be taken by administrators responsible for the organization of A.C.T. education. The findings of the study supported theories that innovations are adopted by members of social networks and that the size of the system and degree of administrative and financial support may positively affect the spread of an innovation. All teachers using keyboard laboratories were convinced of their value, although this perception varied according to factors such as promotional status and recency of teacher training. In addition, the LoU Interview was found to be a highly appropriate tool for a practising classroom teacher to use in an investigation of this kind.