Genetinių algoritmų panaudojimo galimybės ir paplitimas nuolat didėja. Daugelyje nagrinėtų mokslinių darbų, genetiniai algoritmai yra naudojami uždavinių optimizavimui. Optimizavimui naudojama daug skirtingų metodų. Sprendžiant konkretų uždavinį mokslinėje literatūroje paprastai pritaikoma keletas metodų tam, kad būtų pagerinti gauti rezultatai, t.y., išbandoma keletas strategijų. Deja, nepavyko rasti tyrimų, kaip tos pačios genetinės paieškos strategijos gali būti pritaikytos kitoms analogiškoms problemoms spręsti. Šiame darbe pateikiama probleminės srities apžvalga, tyrimo aprašymas bandymų rezultatai ir išvados. / The use of genetic algorithms considerably increases. In some research works GA‘s are investigated to optimize graph problems. There are many different strategies for GA optimization. Unfortunately, there are no investigations if a strategy, suitable for a particular graph problem, will be useful solving other graph problems. In this work I originated, described and developed some GA learning strategy elements. Also I developed some that are available in other research works. These elements are: generation of initial population, selection of individuals, mutation, crossover and some other parameters. All possible strategies (about 300) are tested in this work for three graph problems: shortest path, longest path and traveling salesman problem. Results are summarized and described.

Research was conducted to determine if role-play, when utilized within environmental education programs, could strengthen feelings of connection to nature in children. Six classes participated in the study through taking part in a field trip at the Devonian Botanic Garden; a department of the University of Alberta located in Edmonton, Alberta. Classes participated in one of two programs, which differed in pedagogical strategies: one used a delivery method of direct instruction and the other guided embodiment. Two data collection techniques were used: pre and post program surveys, as well art development - both techniques designed to measure the effect of the pedagogical strategies on the participant's feelings of connectedness to nature. Findings indicated that students who participated in the embodiment program showed inclination to value their environment more intrinsically, where students participating in the direct instruction program showed tendency to view the environment more anthropocentrically.

The purpose of this paper was to discover the politeness schemes in two languages – American English and Lithuanian – and then compare the means of expressing politeness strategies in the two mentioned languages. The method used in the paper is a survey, evaluated by both qualitative and quantitative methods. The research illustrated that the two mentioned cultures do indeed use the speech acts of gratitude and apology. It also showed that American Female and American Male groups tend to choose more polite reactions, while Lithuanian Female and Lithuanian Male groups tend to use less polite reactions more often. Americans (both genders) do not imply the feeling of gratitude or apology, they say it directly. The Lithuanians (both genders) expressed gratitude or apology in everyday situations not as often and not as directly. In other words, the Lithuanian culture tends to use positive politeness; and vice versa, the American culture tends to use negative politeness. Besides that, the research revealed that gender plays a significant role in the answers of the survey respondents. The Female Americans and Female Lithuanians seem to be more polite than their male counterparts. It was also revealed that the respondents of American nationality express gratitude or apology in a more polite way and use more speech acts of gratitude or apology in both private and public spheres than the group of Lithuanian respondents. I believe, that my research is very important and relevant as it... [to full text] / Šio mokslinio darbo tikslas yra atskleisti mandagumo schemas dviejose kalbose – amerikiečių ir lietuvių – o veliau palyginti mandagumo raiškos priemones abiejose paminėtose kalbose. Tyrimo klausimas šiame darbe yra: Kas yra mandagu ir nemandagu amerikiečių ir lietuvių kultūrose ir kas yra laikoma mandagiu ir nemandagiu amerikiečių ir lietuvių kultūrose, kai tai būna pateikta kasdienėse situacijose (išreiškiant dėkingumą ir atsiprašymą)? Šiame moksliniame darbe aš pirmiausia gilinausi į teorinius aspektus, kurie susiję su mandagumo strategijomis pragmatikoje, vėliau tyrinėjau mandagumo raiškos priemones lietuvių ir amerikiečių kalbose, ir galiausiai lyginau mandagumo strategijų panašumus ir skirtumus, pagal tai, kaip jie yra išreikšti abiejose paminėtose kalbose. Tyrimo metodas, naudotas šiame darbe, yra kokybinė ir kiekybinė analizė. Tyrime dalyvavo 154 dalyviai: 75 amerikiečiai (50 moterų ir 25 vyrai) bei 79 lietuviai (48 moterys ir 31 vyras). Visi jie savanoriškai atsakė į klausimus. Tyrimas buvo pravestas internetinio tyrimų puslapio Survey Monkey pagalba (www.surveymonkey.com), kuris yra vienas populiariausių tyrimo atlikimo būdų pasaulyje. Jis suteikia galimybę tyrėjui ne tik gauti informaciją apklausos būdu iš respondentų iš viso pasaulio, bet ir apskaičiuoja rezultatus. Atliktas tyrimas parodė, kad dvi minėtosios kultūros tikrai naudoja dėkingumo bei atsiprašymo kalbos aktus. Jis taip pat atskleidė, kad Amerikiečių Moterų ir Amerikiečių Vyrų grupės yra linkę... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

The literature review on immigrant’s self-employment activities has limited the debate around the leading factors to this type of activity. Much research on the subject has tried to answer the question ‘what are the determinant characteristics to become self-employed?’ In addressing that question researchers have focused on the relative value of the block mobility thesis and the ethnic enclave theory. This focus created a research gap; researchers have ignored how self-employment may be used by immigrants as an alternative or complementary strategy for accessing a new labour market. Using the Longitudinal Immigration Database, this research explores, using survival regression analysis, the extent to which immigrants adopt different labour market strategies following their admission to Canada. More specifically, it examines their rate of access to labour market activities, the length of time they stay in specific type of labour market activities and the determinant factors for such events. The findings of this research demonstrate that 27 per cent of the economic immigrants, who were admitted to Canada between 1990 and 2008, are likely to rely on paid and self-employment activities simultaneously over time. This finding reinforces the need to analyse self-employment activity as a concurrent activity to paid employment. The regression analysis results on the concurrent activities imply that immigrants admitted under the self-employed category are more inclined, than the other economic immigrants, to rely on the two types of activities when integrating into the Canadian labour market. The findings of this thesis indicated that the traditional theories on self-employment activities are inadequate to explain concurrent self-employment activities and paid employment activities. There is a need to develop contemporary theories around this new concept of concurrent labour market activities that would take into consideration self-employment and employment theories as well as immigrants’ adaptive integration capacity.

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<p>For close to a decade, Zimbabwe has experienced a protracted socio-economic crisis. Although it is affecting both rural and urban areas, major forms of formal safety nets by the Government and Non-Governmental Organisations have been confined to rural areas. On the other hand the virtual collapse of the formal food marketing system in urban areas and the high formal unemployment rates have contributed to increased vulnerability of low income urban households to food insecurity. Using qualitative research methods, the study set out to understand livelihoods of low income urban households in Dzivaresekwa. In particular strategies low income households employ to cope with the negative macro-economic environment prevailing in Zimbabwe.</p>

Biographical accounts constitute an important source of information about the experiences of black women under Apartheid. This study focuses on the life of an elderly black woman and presents the various life experiences she was exposed to in her various lifelong learning contexts, as told by her. It highlights the impact of the diverse learning contexts that she was exposed to throughout her life, and develops an understanding of how her meaning perspectives were shaped and transformed by her lifelong learning experiences. This research study is qualitative in nature and employs a life history methodology, which focuses on the meanings that people attach to their experiences. It draws on three of the major interpretive paradigms that structure qualitative research, namely the interpretivist, critical and feminist paradigms. The theoretical framework contains elements of two key theories of adult learning, namely that of Transformative Learning and Critical Consciousness. It also draws on elements of Feminist Theory. The research method consisted of six open-ended life history interviews, which are special types of field interviews, in which I gathered narrative accounts about the respondent’s life. Every interview was audio-taped. Although there was a ‘pre-interview’ agreement on some possible issues that could be discussed, I did not bring a series of predetermined questions or theories into the interview process, but rather used open-ended questions that generated themes from the respondent’s lifelong learning experiences. The participant knew that she was an equal partner in identifying the major themes. My own reflections on what I heard and observed during the interviewing processes also became an important source of information in constructing the research findings. The narrative analysis approach was used to analyze and interpret the interview data. A biographical life history was constructed. This was followed by a process of negotiating the possible main themes embedded in the biographical life history, and then analyzing those themes, which were subsequently interpreted individually for their meaning. This life history study illustrates that Madelwa constructed her identity through the various discourses and lifelong learning contexts that she was exposed to. The study also found that experiential learning is central to the theories of adult learning referred to above. The transformation that happened in Madelwa’s life is the outcome of a practice of critical reflection that already started in her childhood. A crucial finding was that critical hermeneutics in this case offered Madelwa a method for investigating the conditions of her existence, and led her to challenging of the status quo. This life history study suggests that there is a definite relationship between lifelong learning experiences and transformation in an individual’s life. Linked to this transformation is the fact that this study shows that each biography has its own truth. Her life history still continues… / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

This study aims to explore the experiences of teaching foundation phase multi-grade classes in rural settings. I am interested in understanding how teachers teach multi-grade classes so that I am able to make sense of the challenges and opportunities that they encounter. This is a qualitative case study and is guided by the interpretive paradigm. Purposeful sampling was used to select participants. I collected data by using qualitative research methods including interviews and observations. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and interpreted through an open coding process. Data was synthesised and resulted in the formulation of five themes. The findings show that teachers were faced with challenges which include lack of proper training, insufficient support from stakeholders, no workshops organised for multi-grade teachers, lack of resources at school which makes teaching and learning difficult, conditions of the school and the community that are not conducive to effective teaching and learning. Recommendations include that multi-grade teachers need to receive ongoing support from stakeholders. They also need to be given pre- and in-service training so that they are aware of strategies they can use to overcome challenges that they encounter when teaching. The Department of Education needs to provide relevant support for the benefit of the learners and the community. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

My question here revolves around my orientation with my own work; my own frustrations and inability to so often answer the question “can a meaningful place be designed?” This journey examines the theory of semiotics. Through this, three strategies have been developed to explore the branches of semiotic research in Landscape Architecture. The first strategy allows meaning to develop through time, and it is with the repeated usage of people that meaning will accrue. The second strategy shows how meaning can be determined before the design through mapping current and desired locations of meaning in space. And, the third strategy reflects on how meaning emerges from the earth when no interference from designers or users occurs. The result of the three individual strategies is a combination of solutions, illustrating how to create places of true richness. This new space will engage visitors, pull in new visitors, and help create something memorable for those engaging in a space.

The importance of search partnerships has grown as a mode to search for innovations. However, in spite of this development, notions of open innovation combined with new propositions to change the search process in favour of sustainability have unravelled a need to take stock of the existing literature of search partnerships and the aims that these partnerships follow. This review addresses this shortcoming and synthesises the literature on search partnerships to analyse the current state of knowledge to deliver future research opportunities. A systematic review process was adopted by means of a set a set of pre-defined stages. These stages included the formulation and positioning of the review question within the larger literature domains, a systematic research process which included the adoption of search strings, relevance and quality appraisal criteria, as well as a stock-taking process of descriptive and thematic features, which followed the logic of prescriptive synthesis. This process led to a representative sample of 73 articles which were analysed subsequently. The tentative findings reveal that the literature is underpinned by a combination of theories linking to evolutionary or transaction-based understandings of search partnerships. Also, six conditions were found to drive search partnerships and when they are likely to form. Moreover five interventions were identified that relate to the use of search methods, boundary spanning activities, and the number, type and involvement levels with the partner. Finally search partnerships have been found to yield five outcomes: partnerships, and various types of innovations, higher social goals, as well as market knowledge. By combining contexts, interventions, and outcomes, research opportunities are identified that should inform future reviews, including the need for more research in sustainability-led search partnership contexts and a better understanding of search strategy configurations in relation interventions used and anticipated search partnership outcomes obtained.