Creativity is an ever relevant concept in problem-solving. Indeed, one could argue that no problem is really problematic unless it requires creative thinking; such problems can be solved by simply applying known facts and employing suitable algorithms. Yet, that is exactly how many tasks in mathematics textbooks are structured today. The present study aims to find other tasks, which can infuse creativity in the mathematics classroom. Special attention is turned towards a class of tasks known as open-ended tasks because of their creative potential. A literature review spanning 70 sources yields 17 types of open-ended tasks, and these are subsequently exemplified, classified, analyzed, and discussed from a teacher’s perspective. / Kreativitet är ett begrepp som ständigt är relevant i problemlösning. Man skulle till och med kunna hävda att ett problem egentligen inte är problematisk såvida det inte kräver kreativt tänkande; sådana problem kan ju annars enkelt lösas genom att applicera kända fakta och använda lämpliga algoritmer. Ändå är det precis så som många uppgifter är strukturerade i dagens matematikläroböcker. Den här uppsatsen syftar till att hitta andra sorters uppgifter som därmed skulle kunna ingjuta kreativitet i matematikklassrummet. Särskild uppmärksamhet riktas mot en viss klass av uppgifter – öppna uppgifter – på grund av deras kreativa potential. En litteraturgenomgång av 70 källor alstrar 17 typer av öppna uppgifter, och dessa exemplifieras, klassificeras, analyseras, och diskuteras sedan utifrån ett lärarperspektiv.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / Task based language instruction has generated some debate among researchers. Some argue in favour of task based language instruction by claiming that tasks focus learners' attention on meaning and thus facilitate second language acquisition (Prahbu, 1987; Pica and Doughty, 1986; Pica, Kanagy, and Falodun,1993). Others argue against task based language instruction and call into question the concept of comprehensible input, the idea upon which the whole task based approach is based (Sheen, 1994).

The human brain acts as an intelligent sensor by helping in effective signal communication and execution of logical functions and instructions, thus, coordinating all functions of the human body. More importantly, it shows the potential to combine prior knowledge with adaptive learning, thus ensuring constant improvement. These qualities help the brain to interact efficiently with both, the body (brain-body) as well as the environment (brain-environment). This dissertation attempts to apply the brain-body-environment interactions (BBEI) to elevate human existence and enhance our day-to-day experiences. For instance, when one stepped out of the house in the past, one had to carry keys (for unlocking), money (for purchasing), and a phone (for communication). With the advent of smartphones, this scenario changed completely and today, it is often enough to carry just one's smartphone because all the above activities can be performed with a single device. In the future, with advanced research and progress in BBEI interactions, one will be able to perform many activities by dictating it in one's mind without any physical involvement. This dissertation aims to shift the paradigm of existing brain-computer-interfaces from just ‘control' to ‘monitor, control, enhance, and restore' in three main areas - healthcare, transportation safety, and cryptography. In healthcare, measures were developed for understanding brain-body interactions by correlating cerebral autoregulation with brain signals. The variation in estimated blood flow of brain (obtained through EEG) was detected with evoked change in blood pressure, thus, enabling EEG metrics to be used as a first hand screening tool to check impaired cerebral autoregulation. To enhance road safety, distracted drivers' behavior in various multitasking scenarios while driving was identified by significant changes in the time-frequency spectrum of the EEG signals. A distraction metric was calculated to rank the severity of a distraction task that can be used as an intuitive measure for distraction in people - analogous to the Richter scale for earthquakes. In cryptography, brain-environment interactions (BBEI) were qualitatively and quantitatively modeled to obtain cancelable biometrics and cryptographic keys using brain signals. Two different datasets were used to analyze the key generation process and it was observed that neurokeys established for every subject-task combination were unique, consistent, and can be revoked and re-issued in case of a breach. This dissertation envisions a future where humans and technology are intuitively connected by a seamless flow of information through ‘the most intelligent sensor', the brain.

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between types of health information tasks and the Internet information search processes of Chinese graduate students at the University of North Texas. the participants' Internet information search processes were examined by looking at the source used to start the search, language selection, use of online translation tools, and time spent. in a computer classroom, 45 Chinese graduate students searched the Internet and completed three health information search tasks: factual task, interpretative task, and exploratory task. Data of the Chinese graduate students’ health information search processes were gathered from Web browser history files, answer sheets, and questionnaires. Parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses were conducted to test the relationships between the types of tasks and variables identified in the search process. Results showed that task types only had a statistically significant impact on the time spent. for the three tasks, the majority of Chinese graduate students used search engines as major sources for the search starting point, utilized English as the primary language, and did not use online translation tools. the participants also reported difficulties in locating relevant answers and recommended ways to be assisted in the future when searching the Internet for health information. the study provided an understanding of Chinese graduate students' health information seeking behavior with an aim to enrich health information user studies. the results of this study contribute to the areas of academic library services, multilingual health information system design, and task-based health information searching.

The death of a parent by suicide is especially traumatic. Researchers estimate the number of children in the United States annually who experience their parent's suicide ranges from 7,000 to 30,000. These child survivors experience more complicated grief as compared to children bereaved by a parent's non-suicidal death. In particular, very young children have difficulty understanding that their parent completed suicide. Across time they struggle with confusion and intense emotions associated with their parent's suicide. Due to the stigma associated with suicide, feelings of guilt, and intense grief, surviving family members avoid talking about the suicide. Young children are often confused and suffer in silence with limited understanding about who the deceased parent was and why the parent completed suicide. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven adults, who as young children experienced the death of their father by suicide. All participants reported being five years old or younger at the time of the suicide. Participants explained how they found out about the suicide; how they developed an understanding of their deceased father across the years; and how they developed memories of their father, largely dependent on others' stories and reported details. At the conclusion of the interviews, participants were offered nine children's picture books. Participants self-selected books from these nine books and offered their impressions about how these books may or may not be helpful for young child survivors of parent suicide. Their reactions to the books are discussed in relationship to their personal stories and lived experiences. Their reactions have implications for how potential books must be carefully selected, making considerations in light of the child's unique experiences. Participants' responses highlighted the importance of attachment issues, the challenges of forming a connection to the deceased loved one with limited memories of their parent. Ultimately, survivors' perceptions and experiences are tied to the challenges of navigating Worden's (1996) tasks of grief. Implications for applied practice include considering how to use children's literature to open and encourage communication, allowing children to ask questions about the suicide; supporting young children in accepting the reality of their parent's death; facing the grief and pain with the support of loved ones; adapting to changes in their life's trajectory due to their father's suicide and adapting to altered family relationships; and building memories of the deceased loved one, and when possible, ensuring healthy attachment to the deceased parent.

Statutory involvement with adolescents is based on the assumption that it is a means of serving the adolescent’s best interests. In South African society, the adolescent is placed in a place of safety as an interim measure, until the children’s court investigation is finalized. When the children’s court investigation has been finalized, the adolescent will be placed in a long-term placement for two years at a time. The ideal length of a children’s court investigation is six months. However, the reality is that adolescents remain in places of safety for periods far exceeding the legal and departmental guidelines. The adolescent developmental phase presents unique and varied developmental challenges. Adolescents develop a self-image, self-knowledge and knowledge of how and where they fit into society. The question arises whether placement in a place of safety serves the adolescents’ best interests, or whether it adds to the trauma that the adolescent experiences. The best interests of adolescents can only be served if their experiences within the place of safety placement are the central motivation for care in the place of safety. In order to develop insight into the experience of the adolescent in a place of safety, the researcher conducted a phenomenological study, based on the qualitative research design. The researcher conducted a literature study, which forms the knowledge base for this study. The literature study focuses on adolescents’ developmental tasks and adolescence as seen from a gestalt perspective. When an adolescent is not able to reach the important developmental milestones, this might impact negatively on the adolescent’s adult life. From a gestalt approach, the integrated functioning of the adolescent should form the basis of all care provision. The adolescent can only take control of his or her life if a state of homeostasis or organismic self-regulation has been achieved, by the creation of a full awareness of the self and of the surroundings. The study included in-depth interviews with eight (8) adolescents in places of safety. The in-depth interviews provided the researcher with the opportunity to explore, together with the adolescents, the experiences which they felt were important. By doing so, the researcher could gather data about the adolescents’ experiences from the adolescents’ perspectives. The empirical study, contributed to the knowledge base by providing evidence that the adolescents in a place of safety experience secondary trauma, based on their being ill-informed of the statutory process. Empirical evidence further showed that adolescents experience uncertainty, feelings of depression, isolation, and anxiety in places of safety. Because of the isolation they experience in a place of safety, they are denied the opportunity to feel part of the society, and also to develop a self-image and self-knowledge. Social workers and places of safety need to take responsibility to support adolescents in continuing with their development process in a healthy manner. If the adolescent is not supported in this way, he or she experiences feelings of anger and depression, as well as developmental difficulties, within an environment in which it is difficult to develop optimally. Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Background Efficient shoulder movement depends on the ability of central nervous system to integrate sensory information and to create an appropriate motor command. Various daily encountered factors can potentially compromise the execution of the command, such as fatigue. This study explored how fatigue influences shoulder movements during upper limb reaching. Methods Forty healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: Control or Fatigue Group. All participants completed an upper limb reaching task at baseline and post-experimental, during which they reached four targets located at 90° of shoulder abduction, 90° external rotation at 90° abduction, 120° scaption, and 120° flexion in a virtual reality environment. Following the baseline phase, the Fatigue Group completed a shoulder fatigue protocol, while Controls took a 10-minute break. Thereafter, the reaching task was repeated. Upper limb kinematic (joint angles and excursions) and spatiotemporal (speed and accuracy) data were collected during the reaching task. Electromyographic activity of the anterior and middle deltoids were also collected to characterize fatigue. Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA were performed to determine the effects of Time, Group and of the interaction between these factors. Results The Fatigue group showed decreased mean median power frequency and increased electromyographic amplitudes of the anterior deltoid (p < 0.05) following the fatigue protocol. Less glenohumeral elevation, increased trunk flexion and rotation and sternoclavicular elevation were also observed in the Fatigue group (Group x Time interaction, p < 0.05). The Control group improved their movement speed and accuracy in post-experimental phase, while the Fatigue group showed a decrease of movement speed and no accuracy improvement (Group x Time interaction, p < 0.05). Conclusion In a fatigued state, changes in movement strategy were observed during the reaching task, including increased trunk and sternoclavicular movements and less glenohumeral movement. Performance was altered as shown by the lack of accuracy improvement over time and a decrease in movement speed in the Fatigue group.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how selected factors are related to the time children in single parent families spend in the household tasks of meal preparation; dishwashing; shopping; housecleaning; maintenance of home, yard, car and pets and nonphysical care of family members. The data for this study were collected from 89 female headed single-parent/ two-child households in the greater metropolitan Salt Lake City 1Utah area. Time use data were collected for mothers and their children between the ages of 6 and 17. There were 178 children in the 89 families , of which 150 were in the specified age range. It was not possible to select a random sample for this study. Thus, to reflect a random sample of singleparent/ two-child urban Utah households, data were weighted using standard weighting procedures and 1980 census figures. Two instruments were used to collect data from respondents, a time diary and a questionnaire. Research that has examined children in single-parent households has compared their time allocations to those of children in two-parent households. There has been no research that has specifically examined variations in the time spent by children in single-parent families that could be related to their household work. Multiple regression was used to analyze the relationship between a child's age, gender, birth order, gender of sibling, mother's time in paid work and school attendance, household income, season of the year, household equipment and certain household conditions with the amount of time children of single-parent families spent in the six selected household tasks. This study found that children of single-parent families spent varying amounts of time on household tasks depending on the task, age of the child, gender of the child, gender of the sibling, mother's time in paid work and school attendance, household income, season of the year, household equipment and certain household conditions.

Des méthodes efficaces s'appuyant sur des outils statistiques pour réaliser dela reconnaissance de mouvement ont été développé. Ces méthodes reposent surl'apprentissage de primitives situé dans des espaces approprié, par exemplel'espace latent de l'espace articulaire et/ou d'espace de tâches adéquat. Lesprimitives apprises sont souvent séquentielle: un mouvement est segmenté selonl'axe des temps. Dans le cas d'un robot humanoïde, le mouvement peut êtredécomposé en plusieurs sous-tâches simultanées. Par exemple dans un scénario deserveur, le robot doit placer une assiette sur la table avec une main tout enmaintenant son plateau horizontal avec son autre main. La reconnaissance nepeut donc pas se limiter à une seule et unique tâche par segment de tempsconsécutif. La méthode présenté dans ces travaux utilise la connaissance destâches que le robot est capable d'accomplir, ainsi que des contrôleurs quigénèreront les mouvements pour réaliser une rétro ingénierie sur un mouvementobservé. Cette analyse est destinée à reconnaître des tâches qui ont été exécutéde manière simultanées. La méthode repose sur la fonction de tâche et lesprojections dans l'espace nul des tâches afin de découpler les contrôleurs.L'approche a été appliqué avec succès sur un vrai robot pour distinguer desmouvements visuellement très proches, mais sémantiquement différents / Efficient methods to perform motion recognition have been developed usingstatistical tools. Those methods rely on primitives learning in a suitablespace, for example the latent space of the joint angle and/or adequate taskspaces. The learned primitives are often sequential : a motion is segmentedaccording to the time axis. When working with a humanoid robot, a motion can bedecomposed into simultaneous sub-tasks. For example in a waiter scenario, therobot has to keep some plates horizontal with one of his arms, while placing aplate on the table with its free hand. Recognition can thus not be limited toone task per consecutive segment of time. The method presented in this worktakes advantage of the knowledge of what tasks the robot is able to do and howthe motion is generated from this set of known controllers to perform a reverseengineering of an observed motion. This analysis is intended to recognizesimultaneous tasks that have been used to generate a motion. The method relieson the task-function formalism and the projection operation into the null spaceof a task to decouple the controllers. The approach is successfully applied ona real robot to disambiguate motion in different scenarios where two motionslook similar but have different purposes

The purpose of this study has been to explore reading comprehension with a focus on how teachers talk about their teaching of reading comprehension. To gain knowledge about how teachers work to increase and stimulate pupils’ reading comprehension, we decided to use qualitative interviews to further our knowledge and understanding of reading comprehension. Therefore, we interviewed five teachers who teach English in years 7–9, asking them to define reading comprehension and reading strategies, describe a lesson opportunity when they worked with texts and tasks, and encouraging them to talk about what reading strategies they usually promote in their teaching to enhance pupils’ understanding of texts.  The results show that teachers defined reading comprehension in similar ways. From the interviews it appeared that all teachers believe that pupils can understand texts if they link them to their own experiences. Therefore, it is important that texts are interesting to read. The results differed among the teachers regarding the teaching of reading strategies. Even though several of the interviewed teachers believe that it is important that pupils use different strategies to develop their reading comprehension, four of them do not spend time on teaching them. Instead, they advise pupils to use some strategies that they think are useful. In addition, the results reveal that pupils also need to distinguish between strategies and adapt them to the purpose for reading texts. The findings also show that teachers work with different types of texts and they design various tasks for texts according to pupils’ levels and needs.