Thesis (Ph. D.)--Open University. BLDSC no. DX231422.

Originally presented as the author's thesis--Universität Tübingen, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Twisted pan (structured wire) cabling is a principal component in the communications infrastructure, with millions of meters being installed weekly. The rate of increase in upper frequency for this cable appears to be doubling approximately every two years. Clearly, a rigorous approach to the design of these cables is fundamental to achieving data transmission at these frequencies with increasingly stringent performance requirements. This thesis derives a family of equations for the secondary parameters based on an explicit relationship between cable dimensions and materials. These equations have been validated against experimental results and fOWld accurate. Further. equations are developed which calculate the overall S-parameters for cascaded multi.pair cables, the return loss and cross-talk between transmission charmels. In tenns of cable specification. the secondary parameters are the most significant with many of the perfonnance criteria based on these. With designs based largely on the manipulation of physical dimensions, there has been no family of secondary parameter equations given explicitly as functions of cable dimensions and material properties. Similarly, tools have not existed to allow the investigation of design variability or the effects of handling and installation. These are principal requirements in the cable design process. A modelling package, based on Transmission-Line Matrix (TLM) modelling, is developed to a1low the investigation of manufacturing variability and installation handling effects on overall perfonnance of a cable. This modelling technique is validated against both experimental results and analytical results the comparison is excellent. Finally a novel method for the calculation of cross talk between cable pairs is presented. This method is based on a hybrid field·circuit model. Comparisons with measurements show good agreement.

Activity of skeletal muscles produce electrical signals that can be measured using electrodes placed on the skin surface over a target muscle or with electrodes inserted into the muscle. Such electromyographic (EMG) signals provide fundamental information about the intensity of the neural drive acting upon muscle. In addition, EMG signals are widely deployed as control sources for powered prosthetic limbs. One limitation related to recording EMG signals, however, is that signals arising from neighboring muscles may contribute significantly to the activity detected with electrodes placed over or within a given target muscle. Such unwanted contribution of signal from muscles other than the targeted muscle is referred to as cross-talk. Cross-talk was investigated in four neighboring muscles in the forearm with different electrode types and configurations: bipolar intramuscular, monopolar intramuscular, and bipolar surface EMG. Cross-correlation analysis was performed for every pairwise combination of EMG signal recorded. The peak correlation coefficient at near-zero time delay provided an index of the degree of cross-talk. Correlation coefficients dropped off exponentially with distance between recording electrodes. Bipolar intramuscular EMG had the narrowest pick-up range, with a length constant of 14.5 mm. Bipolar surface EMG had a longer length constant of 37.0 mm, whereas monopolar intramuscular EMG had the longest length constant of 64.5 mm. A second set of experiments indicated that correlation in EMG signals detected in different muscles was unlikely to have a neural basis. Therefore, because of their wide detection range, monopolar configurations including those involving intramuscular electrodes, should be avoided.

Teacher-student writing conferences are an important component in college writing courses. Coming from different cultural and educational backgrounds, many ESL students are not familiar with this practice and tend to listen to the instructor passively. Their perception of the conference may affect their interaction with the instructor. This study investigates how ESL students' perception affects the teacher-student interaction in the writing conferences. The multiple-case study explores: (1) ESL students' expectations of the writing conference and factors contributing to the expectations, (2) participation patterns of ESL students in the conferences, and (3) ESL students' perception of the effectiveness of teacher-student conferencesA questionnaire, distributed to 110 (65 NS and 45ESL) students enrolled in the first-year composition classes, examines students' previous writing experience and expectations of the writing conferences. Pre-conference interviews with 19 focus students (8 NS and 11 ESL) were conducted to verify the survey results. Students' participation patterns were investigated via the video-recorded writing conferences of the 19 focus students. Students' perceptions of the conference were investigated through the post-conference interviews with the 19 focus students and follow-up interviews with six Chinese students.The questionnaire results showed that ESL students and NS students expect to receive feedback on their drafts at the writing conference. ESL students, not familiar with the dynamic feature of the conference, expected the instructor to directly tell them what to do without planning to explain their own thoughts. These student expectations were shaped by factors beyond individual preferences. ESL students' expectations were reflected in the way they participate in the writing conferences. Compared with NS students, who knew better how to "buy" the teacher feedback by asking for opinions or suggestions and announcing plans of revision, ESL students tended to be good listeners at the conference by answering questions. They seldom initiated comments and questions in the conferences. Post-conference interviews revealed that ESL students perceived the conference as effective as they received directive feedback from the teacher. It was noted that their participation was constrained by their preconceived assumption of the teacher-student relationship. The findings offer implications on how to conduct conferences to maximize students' benefits.

This is a comparative linguistic essay aimed to investigate how closing sections construct social interaction in a number of talk shows, primarily The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. The talk show data is analyzed by means of Conversation Analysis (CA) which considers how language performs social interaction and the structures and norms which give the frames for this. The results of the analysis are compared to the results of a study carried out in 2003 by Esperanza Rama Martinez on the same subject matter. Martinez´ study is in fact the foundation for this study. In her study Martinez concludes that the closing phase is initiated by the interviewer and that there are always pre-closing components before the closing components begin. The results of this study are in line with Martinez´ study.

This study was undertaken in conjunction with the Successful Integration of Learning Technologies (SILT) project in state schools in Victoria, Australia. The thesis reports an interpretative analysis of cooperative learning in computer-supported classes as it is currently conducted in selected Victorian primary schools. The framework for the study is grounded in the belief that cooperative learning encourages learning as a group as opposed to learning in a group (Slavin, 1980). The framework emphasises the importance of teachers using cooperative learning as a structure to enable students to think together. Therefore, analysis focuses on cooperative learning in a classroom context and the teachers’ units of work guiding the tasks they create. Using a mixed-method approach involving questionnaires, interviews and videotaped observations, the study was conducted in four sites with two teachers from each school and two groups of students from each class. (For complete abstract open document)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 177 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Psych.Sport&Ex.) - University of Queensland, 2006. / Includes bibliography.

Chapter 1: Intrafamily Bargaining and Love Popular culture and common wisdom testify that the way partners in a relationship feel for one another very much depends on how they treat each other. This paper posits the hypothesis that altruism or love in a relationship is endogenous to the actions of the partners and studies how this influences allocations and efficiency in a bargaining model of household decision-making. The main results are that agents treat their partner in a kinder way than without endogenously evolving love, this leads to more equitable allocations in household decision making and greater intertemporal efficiency. There are two mechanisms at work: agents treat their partner nicely to avoid retribution by a less loving partner in the future; and they treat the partner nicely so that the kind reciprocal behavior raises their own love towards the partner, which lets them enjoy higher utility. As to love, two interpretations emerge: love is a commitment device by which couples can implement Pareto superior allocations; and love is an investment good in the sense that costly nice behavior towards the partner today may ensure higher levels of trust and efficiency in the future. Chapter 2: Perception of Technology and Technological Progress under Extractive Institutions This paper explores the impact of different perceptions of the nature of technology - whether it may grow in an arithmetic or geometric fashion - on the choices of an elite that lives on extracting resources from the productive populace. We show that slow potential growth destroys the credibility of inclusive institutions that the elite may consider in order to foster growth whereas these can and will be implemented if populace and elite believe in fast growth. Belief in the potential of technological growth leads to growth-friendly policies under both extractive and inclusive institutions and, as history progresses, the true nature of technology reveals itself and this belief spreads. Chapter 3: A critical literature review of the Property Rights Theory of the Firm and the communication of Unprotected Information Assets This paper reviews the literature centred on the question of what kind of settings facilitate the transmission of unverifiable pieces of information that re- side with an agent whose incentives are not well aligned with an agent for whom this piece of information is useful. The question is framed within the Property Rights Theory of the Firm and its answers make extensive use of the modelling device of Cheap Talk. The main findings are that communication leads to costly distortions and the efforts to decrease bias and information loss may trigger major revisions to the structure of incentive systems and the allocation of decision-rights. The paper argues that the literature has so far failed to properly examine the question of property rights of information and is therefore focused on niche applications.