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The purpose of this multiple case-study was to determine whether the use of reflective journals during graduate coursework impacts the level of technology implementation in instructional settings for experienced teachers. This study examined the relationships between: (1) levels of reflection demonstrated in journal responses, (2) the level of technology implementation, and (3) teachers' attitudes about technology implementation. The coding scheme used to determine levels of reflection in the journals was based on the framework of Leung and Kember. The LoTi questionnaire, developed in 1995 by Chris Moersch, was used to determine the levels of perceived technology implementation. The goal of this study was to provide information that may be utilized to plan more effective technology staff development. By providing insights on how to evaluate written work consistently for reflective thinking and on teachers' perceptions of technology implementation, university programs and school districts can develop better strategies for technology professional development. The findings suggest that teachers who demonstrated the characteristics of high levels of reflection also demonstrated characteristics of higher levels of technology implementation. Four of the five cases demonstrated a relationship among their scores on the Level of Reflection, Level of Technology Implementation (Loti), and Current Instructional Practice (CIP) measures. This study adds to the research regarding evaluation of reflection, the use of journals for reflection, and the impact of this strategy on technology implementation. The results of this qualitative study illustrate the process of using the theoretical framework of Lueng and Kember to evaluate the levels of reflection in written journal responses during professional development programs. The findings suggest that the use of reflective journals, in the context of the action research process during technology training, has a positive impact on technology implementation for practicing teachers.

Magister Legum - LLM / If a company is harmed by the behaviour of a director as a result of financial misstatements, shareholders may suffer the economic consequences in the form of a diminution in the value of their shares. Failure on directorship level in these circumstances has on more than one occasion resulted in aggrieved shareholders seeking to recover damages suffered and losses incurred in terms of section 218(2) of the Companies Act 2008. This was the situation in the recent cases, Hlumisa Investment Holdings (RF) Limited v Kirkinis and in Itzikowitz v Absa Bank Limited. While I am unaware of any reported case arising from the much-publicised Steinhoff scandal, there appear to be moves in the direction of court action to recover pure economic loss. Steinhoff shareholders are seeking to hold the retail group‘s directors to account. Scandals like Steinhoff and African bank are disturbing because it points to a lack of clarity and certainty in South African company laws in respect of director‘s personal liability in these circumstances. It is for this reason that this study investigates whether shareholders can institute personal liability claims against directors for causing shareholders a diminution of the value of the shares in the company as a result of poor decision making on directorship level, since such a loss is merely reflective of the company‘s loss. Although, after Itzikowitz v Absa Bank Limited, the position seems to be settled in our law, we still have incidences where shareholders are seeking to hold directors personally liable for the diminution in share price under section 218(2) of the Companies Act 2008. It is for this reason that the study explores the scope of section 218(2) and investigates many related questions surrounding section 218(2), in light of directors‘ personal liability and shareholder protection.

This thesis deals with problem of computation of global illumination in real-time. Two methods are described. Namely Reflective Shadow Maps and Light Propagation Volumes. The first of them deals with the problem by using extended Shadow Mapping algorithm. The second one uses scene embedded into a 3D grid together with Spherical harmonics to compute light propagation in the scene. Furthermore this thesis contains results of measurement of the rendering speed of the Light Propagation Volumes algorithm with various settings on several machines. Quality of the resulting output of the algorithm is also evaluated.

Formal assessment in education focuses on summative assessment in the form of grade allocation. This has limitations on the learning process for students. Formative assessment should also be incorporated into learning as an integral part as it offers many benefits. Reflective learning in the form of self-assessment is central to the process of formative assessment. Students, however, tend not to engage in the process of self-assessment. This skill can be developed by educators in an educational setting, but educators tend not to create an environment in which students can self-assess. The study explored students’ perceptions of the self-assessment process once they had been exposed to it over a period of time in a facilitated environment. This encouraged them to engage in the process and develop the skill of self-assessment. The research method was exploratory in nature and was conducted by means of a design experiment in which students were encouraged to self-assess on three occasions during the 2012 academic year. Data was then collected from the students by means of a structured survey. The results of this study indicated that students tended not to self-assess if not encouraged to do so. However, once given the opportunity to do so in an environment which supported it, students were positive about the process of self-assessment. They believed that it would improve their overall academic performance and indicated that they would continue to apply self-assessment to their studies in future. This study concluded that students were positive about self-assessment and that they applied it accurately and in a meaningful manner to their studies in an environment which supported it. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / lmchunu2014 / Taxation / unrestricted

The fact that every organization is confronted with errors necessitates a thorough understanding of the factors that encourage employees to engage in behaviors that promote learning from errors. Putting reflective activity and two types of feedback seeking into the center of attention, this study addresses the question of whether perceived psychological safety indirectly relates to these behaviors through error orientation. A cross-sectional survey study was conducted on a convenience sample of 154 German and Swedish working students. Participants completed an online survey of their perception of psychological safety, attitudes and reactions toward errors, engagement in reflective activity, and the reasons for seeking feedback, all referring to the work context. The data was analyzed by means of a partial correlation analysis as well as a path analysis to examine the mediating effect of error orientation. However, the parameter estimates of the latter could not be interpreted due to a poor model fit. The results suggest that perceived psychological safety mitigates both the orientation toward covering errors and the avoidant error orientation, while it does not promote the learning from errors orientation. Some support is provided for the three error orientations to differentially relate to reflective activity and the two types of feedback seeking. The results imply that organizations are well advised to cultivate a psychologically safe climate in order to reduce negative attitudes toward errors. The question of whether perceived psychological safety is indirectly relevant for error-related learning behaviors through error orientation remains unresolved though and awaits further research.

In many conflict regions, women and girls continue to be at high risk of becoming victims of rape by armed combatants, whether local or foreign militaries, rebel groups or peace keeping forces. The physical and psychological repercussions of CRSV against women and their families can be long-lasting and far-reaching (Bosmans, 2007); and it is by no accident that sexual violence is now widely referred to as a ‘weapon of war’ (Clifford, 2008) or an ‘act of terrorism’ (United Nations, 2017). Very often, social taboos dictate that victims of sexual violence be seen as unclean, spoiled or unfaithful, which can lead to social isolation and stigmatisation (Albutt, Kelly, Kabanga, & VanRooyen, 2016). Injuries and trauma from sexual violence may also raise the concern that women are not be able to work, perform household chores or care for children; effectively diminishing their perceived ‘worth’ (Glass, Ramazani, Tosha, Mpanano, & Cinyabuguma, 2012). Depression and other mental illnesses may create further barriers with family and friends and diminish participation in wider community life (Betancourt, Agnew-Blais, Gilman, Williams, & Eliis, 2010). Raising a child born from CRSV can add to this burden, and these dyads may face further barriers to secure attachments. This may arise as a result of a mother’s own emotion dysregulation following the trauma of sexual violence or indeed ambivalence towards their child as a result of his/her conception. Such dyadic victimhood may also be compounded by migration and assimilation into a new culture. And yet, women do not (always) see themselves as victims, many women seem themselves as brave and courageous (Medica Zenica & medica mondiale, 2014). Many are able to achieve growth in spite of their experiences. The overarching aim of this dissertation is to contribute to the discourse on the myriad psychosocial outcomes of conflict-related sexual violence for survivors, by systematically exploring areas of difficulty and areas of perceived strength and combining mixed methodologies. It is built on the foundation of multiple intertwining areas of global mental health and explored several of these within two different contexts: being a mother, being a survivor. Using the evidence generated through this dissertation, recommendations for addressing their needs have been provided.:Foreword 4 Introduction 5 Background & Context 6 Outcomes of CRSV Against Women: Being a Mother, Being a Survivor 8 Aims & Objectives 12 Research Questions 12 Core Publications of this Dissertation 13 Chapter I: Being a Mother 14 Methodology 15 Publication I 21 Publication II 36 Chapter II: Being a Survivor 57 Methodology 58 Publication III 63 A Dual Model of Posttraumatic Stress and Posttraumatic Growth in Survivors of Sexual Violence 76 Publication IV 77 Discussion 103 Summary of Findings 104 Strengths and Limitations 107 Conclusion 108 Future directions 111 Recommendations 113 Thesis References 134 Appendices 141 1. Abbreviations 142 2. Zusammenfassung 143 3. This dissertation is based on the following publications 145 4. Presentation of own contribution 146 6. Curriculum Vitae 148 7. Publication List 149 8. Certificate of Good Scientific Practice 151 9. Acknowledgements 152

Background: Journal writing is often used to gauge student skills and knowledge. There is disagreement as to whether journals should be graded because students may embellish experiences or write what the instructor wants to read. If students are not engaged in honest reflection, the benefit of reflective practice is reduced. Purpose: The purpose of this correlational non-experimental study was to examine if a relationship exists between the grading of reflective journals and student honesty in reflective journal writing. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework for this study was based on Schӧn’s reflective practice theory. This theoretical framework is suitable as students participate in reflective journal writing learning from experience and response to the situation, scaffolding on previous knowledge with the application of new knowledge. Methods: The correlational, non-experimental study was conducted at five Midwestern U.S. pre-licensure nursing programs. Data were collected using an anonymous survey. The non-probability sampling technique was used to examine the existence of a relationship between the grading of reflective journals and student honesty in reflective journal writing. Results: Findings indicated that a significant relationship exists between the grading of reflective journals and student honesty. The relationship between reflective journal writing and embellishment was negative and non-significant. Conclusions: This study revealed that a relationship exists between graded reflective journals and study honesty in reflective journal writing. Nurse educators and policy makers need to assess the process of reflection which involves critical thinking and problem-solving instead of grading the written component; possibly, changing to a complete/incomplete grade.

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Biological organisms, organs and tissues have evolved through natural selection diverse functional and structural traits to accomplish complex tasks. For example, small insects with tiny thermal capacitance have developed tailored spectral properties and behavioral tactics to mitigate rapid changes of body temperatures caused by environmental electromagnetic radiations; neural networks in the brain, through changing the efficacy of synapses, can recognize hidden patterns and correlations in raw data, cluster and classify them, and continuously learn and improve over time. These biological systems are a rich source of bio-inspiration for developing solutions to address engineering challenges. My thesis work focuses on the intersection between photonics and biology and explores three unique biological systems and their technological implications. Beginning with the investigation of butterfly wings, we observed that the wings contain a matrix of living structures, including mechanical and thermal sensory neural cells, hemocytes, pheromone producing organs, , and even “wing hearts”, and that these living structures carry out their specific functions over the entire life span of butterflies but are vulnerable to sustained high temperatures. We discovered that butterflies have evolved heterogeneously thickened wing cuticles and special nanostructured wing scales to locally enhance thermal emissivity so that the regions of the wings containing living structures can better dissipate heat through thermal radiation. Furthermore, we discovered that butterfly wings almost always possess enhanced reflectivity in the near-infrared, which can significantly reduce heating caused by solar radiation. This enhanced near-infrared reflectivity is found to originate from optical scattering at the porous wing scales, especially pale-colored scales underneath the surface layer of colorful ones. Besides these structural adaptations, our bioassays showed that butterflies utilize a number of behavioral strategies to avoid overheating or overcooling of their wings. We found that butterflies can use their wings as a fast and sensitive temperature monitor to detect the direction and strength of sunlight or artificial light applied onto the wings; as such, they can adapt the most suitable postures to minimize overheating of the wings if the illumination is too strong and to warm up the wings when ambident temperatures are insufficient for taking flight. Drawing inspiration from the multi-layered wing scales, which impart coloration to the wings while maintaining their high near-infrared reflectivity, we developed a double-layered, radiative-cooling coating that is able to minimize solar heating while still stay colorful. The second part of my thesis work explored nanostructured fibers and textiles as a novel solution for radiative cooling. The work was motivated by our discovery that the silk fibers produced by the caterpillars of the Madagascan moon moth (Argema mittrei) contain a high density of filamentary air voids, which enable individual fibers of the moth to strongly reflect light over the solar spectrum. This, in combination with natural polymers’ intrinsic high mid-infrared emissivity, provides the cocoons of the moth with remarkable passive radiative-cooling properties. We developed fabrication platforms to produce synthetic fibers with filamentary air voids by modifying both wet spinning and melt extrusion techniques. The melt extrusion approach, in particular, is implemented in an industry-scale fiber extrusion machine for high-throughput, high-yield production. The fabricated nanostructured fibers reproduce the prominent solar reflectivity of the Madagascan moon moth silk fibers and possess high emissivity due to the variety of chemical bonds in the synthetic polymers used. The melt-extruded fibers were twisted into yarns, which were subsequently woven and knitted into fabrics. The finished fabric samples were demonstrated to perform as effective radiative cooling devices compared to conventional white fabrics. Lastly, inspired by how neural networks in the brain form the basis of learning and motivated by how artificial neural networks are implemented in computers, we develop a novel platform of optical neural computing, a smart glass, for object recognition. Our optical neural network takes advantage of strong light-matter interactions with sub-wavelength resolutions in metasurfaces to emulate the layered computations in a biological or artificial neural network. In the simplest implementation of a single-layer smart glass, a metasurface was trained to provide 2D phase modulations that can transform the complex optical wave scattered from an input object into a characteristic intensity distribution pattern on the output plane corresponding to the identity of the object. We experimentally demonstrated the recognition of handwritten numerical digits and letters with different fonts with high accuracies using the smart glass and explored the capability of a polarization-multiplexing smart glass based on birefringent metasurfaces for performing distinct recognition tasks at orthogonal incident polarizations. This optical neural computing platform represents a new paradigm of computation operating at the speed of light with no power consumption and this physical-wave-based computation guarantees data security beyond digital encryption.