Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT; Johnson, 2004) addresses relationship distress by facilitating the development of new patterns of interaction between partners. These new patterns of interaction are based on partners' vulnerable acknowledgement and expression of attachment needs. Partners' engagement in these new patterns of interaction is thought to improve their relationship-specific attachment bond. Although previous studies have shown EFT to result in excellent relationship satisfaction outcomes (Johnson, Hunsley, Greenberg & Schindler, 1999), research had yet clearly to demonstrate if and how EFT facilitates increases in partners' relationship-specific models attachment security over the course of therapy. To address this research gap, the current study employed Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM; Singer & Willet, 2003) to investigate the pattern of change in couples' (n=32) self-reported relationship satisfaction and relationship-specific attachment over the course of EFT. Couples reported significant linear increases in their relationship satisfaction and significant linear decreases in their relationship-specific attachment avoidance over the course of therapy. Couples who completed the blamer-softening therapeutic change event (n=16) demonstrated significant linear decreases in their relationship-specific attachment anxiety after completing this event. Decreases in relationship-specific attachment anxiety predicted increases in couples' relationship satisfaction over the course of therapy. Couples also demonstrated significant increases in the security of their pre-post-therapy relationship-specific attachment behaviour, as coded Secure Base Scoring System (Crowell, Treboux, Gao, Fyffe, Pan & Waters, 2002). The current study also used HLM (Singer & Willet, 2003) to examine how the completion of blamer-softening impacted softened couples' relationship-specific attachment anxiety, and whether the completion of blamer-softening had a similar impact on softened couples' relationship-specific attachment avoidance and relationship satisfaction. Softened couples reported an immediate increase in relationship satisfaction and immediate decrease relationship-specific attachment avoidance at the softening session. Further, softened couples' post-softening decreases in relationship-specific attachment anxiety were initially preceded by an increase at the softening session. These results provided an understanding of how EFT leads to increases in couples' relationship-specific attachment security. These results provide support for the use of attachment theory in the treatment of relationship distress, and also provide an illustration of how attachment can shift over the course of a therapeutic intervention.

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) / The main aim of this thesis was to examine whether learning processes occur in fluid intelligence (Gf) tasks, whether it is essential for them to occur for induction to take place and whether they contribute to individual differences in performance. In mainstream differential research, Gf is conceptualised as a factor important in induction tasks that are considered novel and context-free (Cattell, 1963, 1987). Thus, performance has typically been assumed to be uninfluenced by previous acquisitions of knowledge structures. Sources of individual differences in Gf task performance have been attributed to working memory capacity (WMC), particularly individual differences in the ability to combat proactive interference. In contrast, the cognitive reasoning literature associates induction with the use of prior conceptual knowledge. A middle-ground position is that Gf tasks may require learning to occur across the task, which would draw upon WMC. That is, individual differences in Gf task performance may be due to knowledge learnt across the task, rather than knowledge brought to the task. Gf items have traditionally been presented in easy-to-hard order but easier items may unintentionally provide learning opportunity for harder items. This would contradict both classic and modern test theories which make the assumption that items within a task are independent of each other. The learning hypothesis was explored in the current work along with the issue of whether it is possible to reliably solve complex Gf items without some relevant, prior knowledge. Also, the distinction between within-item induction and across-item learning was investigated, along with the relationship between across-item learning and proactive interference. An experimental-differential approach was used to manipulate learning opportunity within Gf tasks in four experiments. The first experiment examined whether learning takes place in Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (Raven, 1962) and if so, to what extent this learning is a source of individual differences. Specifically, whether rule learning within the task is necessary for abstraction to take place and whether those of higher Gf ability learn faster than those of lower Gf ability. The next three experiments examined the distinction between knowledge that may be brought to the task, learning that occurs across multiple items in the task and induction within a single item that may be independent of any prior knowledge including knowledge learnt across the task. The effect of proactive interference as a consequence of learning and knowledge was also investigated. The experiments examined which of these are relevant to general performance (i.e., common to everyone) and which contribute to individual differences. Learning-opportunity was manipulated in a task from the cognitive reasoning literature – the Modified Sweller and Gee (MSG) Task. Traditional Series Completion tasks were used as Gf markers and data analyses employed Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM). The advantage of the MSG Task is that it has qualities typical of Gf tasks but unlike conventional Gf tasks, it is able to assess within-item induction in isolation from any potential influences from across-item learning. This is because it involves multiple attempts within each item with feedback, allowing single items to be administered reliably. When across-item learning opportunity is absent, the MSG Task is able to provide an estimate of participants’ within-item induction success through the number of attempts they need within a single item. The amount participants learn across items can be approximated by comparing performance on items preceded by learning opportunity (i.e., easier items with similar rule-types), with items not preceded by learning opportunity. Lastly, the effects of proactive interference can be evaluated by comparing performance on items preceded by interference (i.e., items with different rule-types) with those that are not preceded by interference. Overall, it was found that with no learning opportunity leading up to novel items (to provide relevant prior knowledge), solution was nearly impossible for all participants. When learning opportunity was provided, all participants were able to greatly improve their performance but those of higher Gf improved more. It was concluded that while Gf tasks appear visually novel, they must contain a combination of familiar elements in earlier items (which make use of knowledge that participants bring to the task) and novel elements in later items (which require the use of knowledge that must be learnt from earlier items); and those of higher Gf perform better on Gf tasks, at least partly because they are able to benefit more from the learning opportunity provided by earlier items. It was found that proactive interference affects all participants when they learn from prior items. However, insufficient evidence was found to suggest that the ability to combat proactive interference contributes to individual differences in performance.

Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT; Johnson, 2004) addresses relationship distress by facilitating the development of new patterns of interaction between partners. These new patterns of interaction are based on partners' vulnerable acknowledgement and expression of attachment needs. Partners' engagement in these new patterns of interaction is thought to improve their relationship-specific attachment bond. Although previous studies have shown EFT to result in excellent relationship satisfaction outcomes (Johnson, Hunsley, Greenberg & Schindler, 1999), research had yet clearly to demonstrate if and how EFT facilitates increases in partners' relationship-specific models attachment security over the course of therapy. To address this research gap, the current study employed Hierarchical Linear Modelling (HLM; Singer & Willet, 2003) to investigate the pattern of change in couples' (n=32) self-reported relationship satisfaction and relationship-specific attachment over the course of EFT. Couples reported significant linear increases in their relationship satisfaction and significant linear decreases in their relationship-specific attachment avoidance over the course of therapy. Couples who completed the blamer-softening therapeutic change event (n=16) demonstrated significant linear decreases in their relationship-specific attachment anxiety after completing this event. Decreases in relationship-specific attachment anxiety predicted increases in couples' relationship satisfaction over the course of therapy. Couples also demonstrated significant increases in the security of their pre-post-therapy relationship-specific attachment behaviour, as coded Secure Base Scoring System (Crowell, Treboux, Gao, Fyffe, Pan & Waters, 2002). The current study also used HLM (Singer & Willet, 2003) to examine how the completion of blamer-softening impacted softened couples' relationship-specific attachment anxiety, and whether the completion of blamer-softening had a similar impact on softened couples' relationship-specific attachment avoidance and relationship satisfaction. Softened couples reported an immediate increase in relationship satisfaction and immediate decrease relationship-specific attachment avoidance at the softening session. Further, softened couples' post-softening decreases in relationship-specific attachment anxiety were initially preceded by an increase at the softening session. These results provided an understanding of how EFT leads to increases in couples' relationship-specific attachment security. These results provide support for the use of attachment theory in the treatment of relationship distress, and also provide an illustration of how attachment can shift over the course of a therapeutic intervention.

This research aims to identify and evaluate the systemic factors which may be related to decrease in Grade 6 learner’s achievement in Mozambique between 2000 and 2007, looking for possible changes in Educational Effectiveness over that period. SACMEQ III learner results from Grade 6 Reading and Mathematics showed an overall mean decrease from 2000 to 2007. The main research question addressed in this study is: What are the systemic contextual factors associated with decrease in achievement in Reading and Mathematics between 2000 and 2007 in Mozambique? The conceptual framework underpinning this research presents the education system in terms of inputs, processes and outputs (Howie, 2002). Hierarchical Linear Models, based on trend design approach (Nilsen, & Gustafsson, 2014) was used to assess the variation in learner achievement decrease associated with changes in schools inputs and processes. The findings suggest that school-level factors linked to inputs and antecedents have a strong effect on the decrease in learner’s achievement, compared to the processes and practices. Moreover, learners’ background factors, specifically parent’s education and use of language of instruction at home, seem to be the crucial factors associated with learner achievement decrease. When school level variables related to parent’s education, use of language of instruction at home, are included in the model, the amount of variation accounted for, showed an increase (from 23.5 % to 37.7 %,). One can argue that the variation accounted for variables such as parents’ education, whilst use of language of instruction could be indicative of changes in learner’s intake composition between 2000 and 2007. Implications of these findings on the assumptions for large scale assessment studies in developing countries, such as Mozambique, are key issues. For instance, a question could be raised about the “trend” assumption of large scale assessment: To what extent can the trend level of achievement be measured where the learner’s intake composition is changing over the time? In the SACMEQ studies a stronger longitudinal design is needed to investigate how both school and intake factors influence achievement. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / PhD / Unrestricted

Where we live and how our immediate environment looks and functions affect how we travel. Through changes in the immediate urban area, it seems natural that the choice of car ownership would be affected. This study examines the connection between the physical environment and car ownership in the case study area of Gothenburg. The study is based on previous models and quantitatively examines the variance of car ownership per household at a statistical neighbourhood level through linear regression analysis. The study aims to shed light on how physical variables that can be controlled through municipal planning (factors that can be regulated through detailed planning or, for example, influenced by municipal investment in public streets) can explain the variance in car ownership per household. The City of Gothenburg's work with planning regarding mobility and how individual planners within the municipality evaluates the independent physical variables in the model were examined through a survey and a shorter series of interviews. In tandem with the statistically proven valuation of the variables impact on car ownership, this visualises how the mathematical and professional approaches differ.When developing the model of how the city's network, structure and housing supply potentially affect private car ownership per person, four main physical variable themes were investigated: parking (e.g., bicycle and car), network and density (e.g., building density, traffic network density or distance), housing (e.g., design, owning or renting and average size) as well as public transport (bus and tram networks).  The resulting model shown on the right explains 91.5% of the variance of cars per household. A total of 55 different physical or descriptive variables were tested. The study’s model and the survey points to underlying factors that impact car ownership. The method can be criticized based on its delimitation to focus on physical factors whilst leaving out economic factors such as households’ economic prerequisites. Furthermore, private parking is not included in the model due to a lack of data. These two factors are highlighted by the survey respondents as well as the planners who were interviewed as being factors of great importance for the variance of car ownership. Knowing the approximate number of cars in an area after physical urban changes helps not only to see how many parking spaces are needed but also to align car ownership with the current sustainable development goals. However, this does not mean that you can completely trust the model and you will not be able to see any exact effects of restrictions on parking numbers in the model. / Var vi bor och hur vår närmiljö ser ut och fungerar påverkar hur vi rör oss. Genom att ändra förutsättningarna i närområdet förefaller det naturligt att valet av bilinnehav skulle påverkas. Denna studie undersöker sambandet mellan den fysiska miljön och bilinnehav i fallstudieområdet Göteborg.Studien tar avstamp i tidigare linjära aggregerade modeller och undersöker variansen av bilinnehav per hushåll på basområdesnivå kvantitativt genom linjär regressionsanalys. Studien ämnar till att belysa hur de faktorer som kan styras genom kommunal styrning (faktorer som kan regleras genom detaljplanering eller exempelvis påverkas genom kommunal investering i gatumark) kan förklara variansen av bilinnehav. Frågeställningar kring Göteborgs Stads arbetssätt och värderingar av de oberoende fysiska variablerna i modellen som lyfts undersöks genom en enkätstudie och kortare intervjuserie i tandem med de statistiskt påvisade förhållandena för att se hur dessa två synsätt skiljer sig åt. I byggandet av modellen över hur stadens nätverk, struktur och bostadsutbud potentiellt påverkar privat bilinnehav per person valdes fyra huvudsakliga fysiska variabelteman: parkering (exempelvis cykel och bil), nätverk och densitet (exempelvis bebyggelsetäthet, trafiknätverksdensitet eller avstånd), bostäder (exempelvis utformning, upplåtelseform och medelstorlek) och kollektivtrafik (buss och spårvagn). Den resulterande modellen som visas till höger förklarar till 91,5% variansen av bilar per hushåll. Totalt testades 55 olika fysiska eller områdesbeskrivande variabler. Modellerna som studerades och enkätstudien pekar på underliggande faktorer som påverkar bilinnehavet. Studiens metod kan kritiseras utifrån sin avgränsning: att fokusera på fysiska faktorer, att utelämna hushållens ekonomiska förutsättningar och att privat parkering inte är inkluderat i modellen på grund av databrist. Dessa två faktorer ansågs vara av stor vikt enligt enkätstudiens respondenter och de planerare som intervjuades. Att känna till approximativa antalet bilar som kommer att finnas i ett område hjälper inte bara till att se hur många parkeringsplatser som behövs men även hur man skulle kunna styra bilinnehavet mot något mer i linje med den nuvarande målsättningen, att minska bilanvändande. Detta betyder inte att man kan förlita sig helt på den presenterade modellen och man kommer heller inte kunna se några exakta effekter från begräsningar av parkeringstal i den

No / Polymer extrusion is regarded as an energy-intensive production process, and the real-time monitoring of both energy consumption and melt quality has become necessary to meet new carbon regulations and survive in the highly competitive plastics market. The use of a power meter is a simple and easy way to monitor energy, but the cost can sometimes be high. On the other hand, viscosity is regarded as one of the key indicators of melt quality in the polymer extrusion process. Unfortunately, viscosity cannot be measured directly using current sensory technology. The employment of on-line, in-line or off-line rheometers is sometimes useful, but these instruments either involve signal delay or cause flow restrictions to the extrusion process, which is obviously not suitable for real-time monitoring and control in practice. In this paper, simple and accurate real-time energy monitoring methods are developed. This is achieved by looking inside the controller, and using control variables to calculate the power consumption. For viscosity monitoring, a 'soft-sensor' approach based on an RBF neural network model is developed. The model is obtained through a two-stage selection and differential evolution, enabling compact and accurate solutions for viscosity monitoring. The proposed monitoring methods were tested and validated on a Killion KTS-100 extruder, and the experimental results show high accuracy compared with traditional monitoring approaches.

L’intégration des méthodes numériques dans les procédés industriels à son origine à l’apparition des ordinateurs, et est de plus en plus intégré parallèlement au développement de la technologie. Dans le cadre des procédés industriels où interviennent des structures en mouvement, il est intéressant d’avoir de méthodes de calcul rapide pour de problèmes non linéaires, comme par exemple, la manipulation de matériaux souples par robots. La résolution de ce type de problème reste encore comme un défi pour l’ingénierie. Malgré l’existence de nombreuses méthodes pour résoudre les problèmes dynamiques, aucun n’est adaptée à la simulation en temps réel. Pour la façon de résolution, nous avons divisé le problème dynamique en deux sous-problèmes : le problème direct, qui consiste à calculer les déplacements en fonction de la force appliqué, et le problème inverse, dans lequel on calcule la force en fonction des déplacements appliqués. / Integration of numeric methodes in industrial procedures starts with the development of the computers, and its being integrated as its grows the technology. In the industrial procedures where moving structrues are involved, its necessary the hability of fast computing in non lineare problems, for example, material manipulation by soft robots. The solution of this kind of problems is still a challenge for the engineering. Despite the existance of numerous methodes to solve the dynamic problem, non of them is adapted to real time simulation. By the way of facing the problem, we have divised the dynamic problem in two subproblems: the direct problem, where displacements are computed when an external force is applied, and the inverse problem, where the external force is computed from the displacements.

Increasing awareness about the presence and ecological ramifications of toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative contaminants within the Great Lakes system spurred the implementation of numerous bans and emissions restrictions over the past few decades. Due to their high trophic status in food webs and the critical link they serve with human consumers, fish species have historically been monitored to assess the relative success of such remedial efforts within the region and to simultaneously ascertain the current risks posed to local humans. Using Bayesian dynamic linear modelling, this project first aimed to evaluate temporal trends of various organochlorine contaminants within Lake Erie fish communities, the results of which generally indicated decreasing trends through time. The second half of this study used a similar Bayesian approach to propose a framework for updating fish consumption advisories, with specific attention paid to the acknowledgment of uncertainty and natural variability when producing such consumption guidelines.

Increasing awareness about the presence and ecological ramifications of toxic, persistent and bioaccumulative contaminants within the Great Lakes system spurred the implementation of numerous bans and emissions restrictions over the past few decades. Due to their high trophic status in food webs and the critical link they serve with human consumers, fish species have historically been monitored to assess the relative success of such remedial efforts within the region and to simultaneously ascertain the current risks posed to local humans. Using Bayesian dynamic linear modelling, this project first aimed to evaluate temporal trends of various organochlorine contaminants within Lake Erie fish communities, the results of which generally indicated decreasing trends through time. The second half of this study used a similar Bayesian approach to propose a framework for updating fish consumption advisories, with specific attention paid to the acknowledgment of uncertainty and natural variability when producing such consumption guidelines.

The presented work highlights the remarkable potential of physical discretization – lattice model FyDiK in three-dimensional modelling of non-linear problems in structural mechanics. To achieve the objectives a software application, that implements the model FyDiK along with the 3D graphical user interface has been developed and thus is able to assemble a spring network model. Such a model was used for modelling the formation of cracks and fracture in the concrete specimens and also to model a plastic behaviour of steel I-beam. The calculations were performed by a massive parallelization on CUDA platform. In the first part the basic principles on which the work is based are introduced. Subsequently, a detailed description of individual parts of the model and the issue of parallelization by graphics cards are presented. In the next part the creation of the required software and improving of the model properties of mentioned materials are described. That is followed by evaluation of the achieved results with the comparison of other modelling software. The conclusion summarizes the achievements and suggestions for the further development possibilities of the presented method of modelling.