Playing has been part of people's lives since the beginning of time. However, play does not take place in silence (isolated from speech and sound). The games people play allow them to interact and to learn through experiences. Speech often forms an integral part of playing games. Video games also allow players to interact with a virtual world and learn through those experiences. Speech input has previously been explored as a way of interacting with a game, as talking is a natural way of communicating. By talking to a game, the experiences created during gameplay become more valuable, which in turn facilitates effective learning. In order to enable a game to “hear", some issues need to be considered. A game, that will serve as a platform for speech input, has to be developed. If the game will contain learning elements, expert knowledge regarding the learning content needs to be obtained. The game needs to communicate with a speech recognition system, which will recognise players' speech inputs. To understand the role of speech recognition in a game, players need to be tested while playing the game. The players' experiences and opinions can then be fed back into the development of speech recognition in educational games. This process was followed with six Financial Management students on the NWU Vaal Triangle campus. The students played FinMan, a game which teaches the fundamental concepts of the “Time value of money" principle. They played the game with the keyboard and mouse, as well as via speech commands. The students shared their experiences through a focus group discussion and by completing a questionnaire. Quantitative data was collected to back the students' experiences. The results show that, although the recognition accuracies and response times are important issues, speech recognition can play an essential part in educational games. By freeing learners to focus on the game content, speech recognition can make games more accessible and engaging, and consequently lead to more effective learning experiences. / MSc (Computer Science), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

by Emil, Chiu Hong Man. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-118). / Acknowledgment --- p.6 / List of Abbreviations --- p.7 / Summary --- p.8 / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Childhood Asthma - An Overview --- p.10 / Chapter 1.1 --- Definition of childhood asthma --- p.10 / Chapter 1.2 --- Basic Pathophysiology of Asthma --- p.11 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Airway obstruction --- p.11 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Airway inflammation --- p.11 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- Bronchial hyperresponsiveness --- p.12 / Chapter 1.2.4 --- Trigger factors of asthma --- p.12 / Chapter 1.3 --- Measurement of the severity of asthma --- p.14 / Chapter 1.3.1 --- Obj ective measures of lung function --- p.14 / Chapter 1.3.2 --- Measures of bronchial hyperresponsiveness --- p.15 / Chapter 1.3.3 --- Clinical measures --- p.16 / Chapter 1.4 --- Epidemiology --- p.16 / Chapter 1.5 --- Treatment of asthma --- p.19 / Chapter 1.5.1 --- Pharmacological treatment --- p.19 / Chapter 1.5.2 --- Non-pharmacological treatment --- p.20 / Chapter 1.5.3 --- Behavioral Intervention --- p.24 / Chapter 1.5.4 --- Summary of treatment of asthma --- p.28 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Change in Lung Mechanic During Asthmatic Attack --- p.29 / Chapter 2.1 --- Asthmatic Attack --- p.29 / Chapter 2.2 --- Hyperinflation of the lungs during asthmatic attack --- p.30 / Chapter 2.3 --- Effect of hyperinflation on respiratory muscle function --- p.32 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Biofeedback Intervention --- p.36 / Chapter 3.1 --- Background --- p.36 / Chapter 3.2 --- Definition of biofeedback --- p.36 / Chapter 3.3 --- Biofeedback as an adjunctive treatment to asthma --- p.37 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Direct airways biofeedback --- p.38 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Muscle EMG biofeedback --- p.41 / Chapter 3.4 --- Justification of study --- p.45 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Material and Methods --- p.47 / Chapter 4.1 --- Study design and patients recruitment --- p.47 / Chapter 4.2 --- Equipment and measurement --- p.49 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Biofeedback unit and the computer system --- p.49 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Mini Wright flow meter --- p.50 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Clinical measures --- p.50 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Bronchial provocation test --- p.51 / Chapter 4.3 --- Biofeedback training --- p.53 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Preparation of the patient --- p.53 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Training Procedures --- p.54 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Criteria for successful training --- p.55 / Chapter 4.4 --- Statistical methods --- p.56 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Results --- p.58 / Chapter 5.1 --- Immediate training effects --- p.58 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- Comparison between the successful group and the fail group --- p.59 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- Combining successful and fail groups as the training group --- p.63 / Chapter 5.2 --- One year follow-up --- p.65 / Chapter 5.2.1 --- Social and clinical characteristics of both training and control group --- p.65 / Chapter 5.2.2 --- Clinical characteristic --- p.66 / Chapter 5.2.3 --- Attack rate --- p.66 / Chapter 5.2.4 --- The Fscore --- p.67 / Chapter 5.2.5 --- Score --- p.67 / Chapter 5.2.6 --- Mscore --- p.68 / Chapter 5.2.7 --- Bronchial hyperresponsiveness --- p.68 / Chapter 5.2.8 --- Lung functions --- p.69 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Discussion --- p.95 / Chapter 6.1 --- Physiological effects --- p.95 / Chapter 6.1.1 --- EMG --- p.96 / Chapter 6.1.2 --- Pulse rate and skin temperature --- p.97 / Chapter 6.1.3 --- Lung functions --- p.97 / Chapter 6.2 --- Clinical outcomes --- p.100 / Chapter 6.2.1 --- Attack rate and symptom --- p.100 / Chapter 6.3 --- Clinical implication of study --- p.101 / Chapter 6.4 --- Limitation and difficulties --- p.103 / Chapter 6.5 --- Suggestions for further study --- p.104 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- Conclusions --- p.105 / References --- p.108 / Appendix1 --- p.119 / Appendix2 --- p.120 / List of Figures --- p.122 / List of Tables --- p.124

An instructor's personality may influence his or her teaching strategies and instructional style. Correspondingly, a student with a particular learning style may respond more readily to one teacher personality type as opposed to another. This quantitative research, guided by theories of personality and learning, examined the relationship between instructor level of extraversion and student visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learning modalities in a community college setting. A cross-sectional correlation design was implemented. Three hundred and two students from a community college in the southwestern United States were asked to select an instructor (past or present) they thought taught effectively and complete an observer-rated extraversion scale from the Big Five Inventory on the selected instructor. The students also self-reported their learning style using the Barsch Learning Style Inventory along with a demographic questionnaire. Upon establishing the dominant learning style of each student, a one-way ANOVA was conducted to analyze instructor's extraversion level with student's dominant style of learning. Pearson correlations were examined to determine relationships between instructor extraversion and auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learning style scores. While findings did not indicate a positive correlation between instructors' degree of extraversion and students' visual learning style scores, it did show that visual learners rated effective instructors higher on the trait of extraversion than did auditory or kinesthetic learners. In addition, further analyses indicated that auditory and kinesthetic learning style scores negatively correlated to an instructor's level of extraversion. This study's results emphasize the importance of considering both instructors' personality traits and students' learning styles in fostering an advantageous learning environment.

Part I investigates the idea that kinds (as opposed to individuals) have some modal properties. I argue that concerning typical kind-essentialist claims there is a non-trivial question—the transworld identity problem—about what the relevant kind terms are supposed to refer to in non-actual possible worlds. I reject several ideas for solving the problem. The upshot is a worry about the coherence of modal talk concerning kinds. Waiving this worry for the sake of argument, in Part II the target is the use of modal talk in the sciences. I offer a deflationary account of modalities, based on the familiar idea of reducing modalities to logical relationships between non-modal statements and non-modal background theories. I argue that this account is adequate for making sense of modal talk in the sciences. Moreover, I argue that irreducible modal properties of the world, if there are any, cannot be scientifically discovered or inferred. Thus we have a number of arguments against modalities: the threat of incoherence, their epistemic inaccessibility, and the dispensability of modal talk in the sciences.

Part I investigates the idea that kinds (as opposed to individuals) have some modal properties. I argue that concerning typical kind-essentialist claims there is a non-trivial question—the transworld identity problem—about what the relevant kind terms are supposed to refer to in non-actual possible worlds. I reject several ideas for solving the problem. The upshot is a worry about the coherence of modal talk concerning kinds. Waiving this worry for the sake of argument, in Part II the target is the use of modal talk in the sciences. I offer a deflationary account of modalities, based on the familiar idea of reducing modalities to logical relationships between non-modal statements and non-modal background theories. I argue that this account is adequate for making sense of modal talk in the sciences. Moreover, I argue that irreducible modal properties of the world, if there are any, cannot be scientifically discovered or inferred. Thus we have a number of arguments against modalities: the threat of incoherence, their epistemic inaccessibility, and the dispensability of modal talk in the sciences.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-68).

Lic.-avh. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2008. / Härtill 2 uppsatser.

The novel Rimbaud le fils written by Pierre Michon is analysed in this study, using the theoretical model of modalities and modes of media elaborated by Lars Elleström (2010), the typology of intermediality defined by Werner Wolf (2002) and Irina Rajewsky’s (2010) metatheoretical reflections upon the concept of borders. The novel by Michon relates to some famous photos that have become important in creating the understandings of Arthur Rimbaud as a poet and a myth. The guiding question of the analysis has been: How can the intermedial relations to the photos create meaning in the novel?   The theoretical model of Elleström has been applied in order to define the modalities and modes involved in the photography and in the written text of the novel. Thereby the significant differences and similarities between the different media have become distinguishable. The categorization proposed by Wolf and the remarks made by Rajewsky on the concepts of borders, have helped to link together the observations of modalities and modes with the hermeneutic reading of the text. Using the intermedial references has shown to be a possible way to express or to reinforce the literary expression of for instance: the heaviness of the literary legacy and mythology, the absent, the genius, the departure, the silence, the religious language, the unknown, the literary sham, the survival and the protective power of an expressive richness that relates to or implies several semiotic systems.

Playing has been part of people's lives since the beginning of time. However, play does not take place in silence (isolated from speech and sound). The games people play allow them to interact and to learn through experiences. Speech often forms an integral part of playing games. Video games also allow players to interact with a virtual world and learn through those experiences. Speech input has previously been explored as a way of interacting with a game, as talking is a natural way of communicating. By talking to a game, the experiences created during gameplay become more valuable, which in turn facilitates effective learning. In order to enable a game to “hear", some issues need to be considered. A game, that will serve as a platform for speech input, has to be developed. If the game will contain learning elements, expert knowledge regarding the learning content needs to be obtained. The game needs to communicate with a speech recognition system, which will recognise players' speech inputs. To understand the role of speech recognition in a game, players need to be tested while playing the game. The players' experiences and opinions can then be fed back into the development of speech recognition in educational games. This process was followed with six Financial Management students on the NWU Vaal Triangle campus. The students played FinMan, a game which teaches the fundamental concepts of the “Time value of money" principle. They played the game with the keyboard and mouse, as well as via speech commands. The students shared their experiences through a focus group discussion and by completing a questionnaire. Quantitative data was collected to back the students' experiences. The results show that, although the recognition accuracies and response times are important issues, speech recognition can play an essential part in educational games. By freeing learners to focus on the game content, speech recognition can make games more accessible and engaging, and consequently lead to more effective learning experiences. / MSc (Computer Science), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

Post-exercise recovery techniques are being used increasingly in elite sport, but scientific study in this area is only emerging. The aim of this study was to collect information on the use and perceived effectiveness of the different recovery techniques used with athletes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 Queensland Academy of Sport coaches and other high-performance coaches from seven sports (three team sports and four individual sports). The interview questions sought to examine the coaches’ understanding of recovery, personal experiences, and the modalities and techniques used with their athletes. Interviews lasted an average of 45 minutes and were transcribed for qualitative content analysis and checked for accuracy by the coaches. Triangular consensus was used throughout the coding process to constantly revisit and redefine the open and axial codes that emerged. Three themes emerged: understanding of recovery, recovery modalities used, and monitoring of recovery. Understanding of recovery relates to the coaches’ overall view and general understanding of recovery. Coaches reported that recovery consisted of physical, mental and neural components, and is important to the overall performance, repeated performance, and training of athletes. Coaches gained their recovery knowledge from a variety of sources across their own athlete and coaching pathways. Transferring this knowledge to athletes was perceived as important for enabling athletes to implement and adhere to recovery within their training plans. The recovery modalities used most often were low-intensity activity, stretching, nutrition, massage, contrast water immersion, cryotherapy, sleep and rest. Practicality and accessibility (e.g., time and cost) for the athletes’ daily training environment were key factors influencing use of different recovery modalities. Coaches reported that they applied recovery modalities according to their own past coaching experiences or experiences of other coaches and sport science professionals. It appeared that coaches learn recovery information best by watching and speaking with others, especially other coaches and sports personnel. Factors contributing to use of recovery modalities include convenience and accessibility of a modality. Time restraint was an evident factor. Other factors that seem to contribute to the use of recovery modalities include the awareness of a modality’s existence, perceived modality strength of effect (or negative effect), and the compliance with and attitude of athletes to the modality. The personal experience of a coach using specific recovery modalities also impacted on whether the coach prescribed the modality and encouraged athletes to use the modality. However, it was clear from the study that athletes need to take responsibility for applying the recovery modalities themselves mainly because of logistical reasons. Recovery was monitored most often through informal observation rather than formal investigation. The most common monitoring approaches were coach observation and athlete reporting (diaries and discussions). Some coaches indicated that using a combination of approaches is useful and effective for gaining maximal benefits. Further investigation of monitoring approaches and prioritising them in terms of ease of implementation are needed. In summary, this study provided insight into the use of recovery modalities in elite sport and implications for use by professionals assisting coaches and athletes. In light of the limited research in some areas of recovery, a network could be established to capture the coaches’ learned experiences and information on recovery to share with each other across different sports.